FENDI presents ænigma by Lewis Kemmenoe

For Design Miami/ 2024, FENDI has invited London-based designer Lewis Kemmenoe to create a new body of work - a unique confluence of the sensibilities of his own practice and those of the distinctly Roman luxury house.

Following a period of research, which included visits to Rome’s museums, botanical gardens and FENDI’s headquarters at Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, as well as the FENDI Factory in the heart of Tuscany's countryside, Kemmenoe presents his ænigma collection. The title is both the Latin word for riddle, or puzzle, but it also has an association in English, in the word ‘enigma’, meaning something hard to understand or explain.

The form of the ænigma collection invites moments of analysis into its production process: here box joints are used as a construction technique, but also as an organic vehicle to integrate the FENDI FF motif; a jacket pattern from the fashion house’s atelier is reimagined into timber patchwork - a staple of Lewis’ work; and the bark of pines trees that permeate Rome are cast into brass and aluminium.

A duality in materiality is evident throughout the collection and within individual pieces, where organic matter, be it timber or stone, is offset in relationship to processed materials such as metal. A pair of FENDI Chairs appear in two different materialities, one predominantly brass, one aluminium.

The collection comprises: two chairs, a cabinet, two wall panels, three lamps, a coffee table and an iconic Peekaboo Soft bag.

The Peekaboo Soft Medium bag reinterpreted by Lewis Kemmenoe is made of FENDI leathers cut into a jacket pattern from the FENDI artisans, then affixed together and patchworked to emulate a key motif of his work. The hardware carries a further connection, a timber used throughout the aenigma collection forms the internal bar, while silver and brass screws reflect the two prominent metals in the furniture. Upon opening the Peekaboo Soft bag, a hidden wood texture becomes exposed.