Last week at Paris Fashion Week, we saw a rare catwalk turn by Kate Moss which marked the moment that Kim Jones – a designer loaded with industry awards but a little-known name in the wider world – took his place at fashion’s top table with his first womenswear collection, for Fendi haute couture.
Mossy was joined by her daughter Lila, 18, the first time the pair have walked a catwalk together. The actor Demi Moore opened the show in off-the-shoulder black satin; Naomi Campbell closed it in a silver cape with cathedral-length train. Such incredible casting, on a show filmed behind closed doors with no live audience, was what we call ‘a flexing of strength’.
Kim Jones has five trophies from the British Fashion Awards, has been awarded an OBE, was mentored by Alexander McQueen, and counts the Beckhams as well as Kate in his circle of close friends.
He was responsible for the collab with Supreme during his time at Louis Vuitton and with Air Jordan at Dior, he pioneered a move to streetwear which transformed and energised the menswear world.
Jones has arrived to design women’s clothing at a house with a strong heritage of female creativity. Silvia Fendi, the current menswear and accessories designer, is the fourth generation of Fendi women at the helm of the brand. Jones has enlisted Kate Moss as a consultant on accessories at Fendi, as well as a model, and the mother-and-daughter Moss casting was his way of honouring the Fendi tradition. It was genius.
After walking the catwalk, each model struck a pose inside glass rooms which slotted together in the shape of Fendi’s double F logo. A chic take on the Covid-secure “bubble”. He is one to watch.
