Fendi has put its once-defining shoulder bag back under the spotlight with a star-studded campaign that reintroduces the silhouette to a global audience. The effort — timed with the house’s latest seasonal show — signals a deliberate pivot by the brand’s new creative leadership toward heritage models and cross-generational appeal.
The campaign centers on the storied Baguette, carried by an ensemble of actors, models and pop stars and shot by photographer Bibi Borthwick. Musically, the visuals are set to Addison Rae’s “Fame is a Gun,” a contemporary choice that frames the bag in both runway and youth-culture contexts. The images were released online this week.
At the creative helm is Maria Grazia Chiuri, who began her career at Fendi and returned to the house after a lengthy tenure at Dior. Her decision to restore the bag’s classic proportions and codes is presented as more than nostalgia: it’s part of a broader effort to reconnect Fendi’s leather craftsmanship with its ready-to-wear ateliers.
The campaign invited participants to choose a Baguette that reflected a personal statement — from family ties to attitude and identity — and to pose with it in ways that emphasize individuality rather than uniformity. That approach nods to the bag’s cultural trajectory: once a ubiquitous must-have, it is now being reframed as a piece of design history with renewed relevance.
Who appears in the campaign
- Sarah Jessica Parker — the actress closely associated with the bag’s pop-culture moment.
- Bang Chan — leader of Stray Kids, representing K-pop’s global pull.
- Emma D’Arcy — known for television and film roles; a contemporary acting presence.
- Song Yuqi — another K-pop figure who underscores Fendi’s Asian market focus.
- Sophie Thatcher — rising actor with eclectic indie and TV credits.
- Jessica Alba — long-standing film star and public figure.
- Ren Meguro — breakout talent from Japanese pop culture.
- Iris Law — model and actor with a fashion-campaign résumé.
- Tecla Insolia — Italian actor with recent television roles.
- Mina — member of Twice, reinforcing pop-star cachet.
Several elements make this relaunch notable for consumers and the fashion ecosystem alike. By pairing legacy design with contemporary faces — including younger, digitally native stars — Fendi is signaling a twofold aim: to reassure long-time collectors of the house’s fidelity to its archives, and to court new buyers across markets driven by K-pop and influencer culture.
Chiuri framed the return as a deliberate reset rather than a simple revival. She emphasized the importance of tracing the bag back to its roots and reworking how different in-house workshops collaborate — leather goods and clothing — to produce an object that reads as both historic and current. That practical, atelier-focused rationale differentiates the relaunch from a pure trend play.
Practical takeaways for readers: expect to see the Baguette reappear in store assortments and editorial spreads, a likely uptick in resale activity for vintage pieces, and more campaign strategies that mix legacy storytelling with pop and social-first talent. For Fendi, the move is a statement of direction: balancing archival identity with contemporary cultural relevance.
Why this matters now
The relaunch arrives at a moment when luxury houses are reassessing the value of signature objects amid fast-shifting consumer attention. Reintroducing the Baguette with a broad-cast campaign—featuring both established stars and younger global influencers—is a deliberate attempt to make an archival piece speak to today’s market dynamics.
Photographer Bibi Borthwick’s images, accompanied by a modern soundtrack and a mix of cinematic and candid poses, aim to position the bag as a versatile accessory for multiple generations rather than a single-season novelty.
