It’s easy to forget the men who really make the business of fashion tick. Behind the glamour of fashion, the creatively stimulated designers and bevies of flashbulb happy patrons are men in striped shirts for whom fashions’ mergers and acquisitions, market volatility are as much a reality as fuchsia is to fashionistas.
Yet, says Michael Burke, CEO of Fendi, on his recent visit to India, “The passion lies in ensuring that creativity continues. You have to love the brand with a passion but in a way, be detached from it to not be all-consumed. We cannot confuse ourselves with the customers.”
Seven years in Christian Dior (New York), four years with Louis Vuitton (USA), and the man now is at the helm of Fendi. He certainly did a fine job, what with Time-Style & Design according him the status of one of the fifty top fashion power-brokers of our time. His success he says lies in, “Staying young, concentrating on what you can do differently, not merely managing a brand but taking the business to the next level.” And it is as important, he says, to ensure a trusting relationship with the designer and convey his vision correctly to the rest of the world. It is no wonder Karl Lagerfeld decided to stay back in Fendi at his behest.
The bags might have funny names: Hobo, bucket or spy, but it was the Fendi baguette that became the iconic must-have bag. Says Mr. Burke, “When Silvia (Fendi’s granddaughter) turned an evening bag into a day bag, holding it tight under the arm like a French baguette, it gave a completely different attitude to the person carrying it! It’s what differentiates you more. Regardless of what type of body you have, you can carry a Fendi bag.” Not surprising that someone quipped wittily that this bag not only carries your lipstick and wallet but your emotional baggage too!
When asked about the irresistible China-India comparison, pat came the answer, “India did not go through a period when fashion was outlawed. India has kept up a high quotient of fashion in her daily life. In villages here you see fashion in colour. Most other Asian towns have gone gray. You don’t see colour, jewelry, make-up…you don’t see seduction on the street and I think fashion is all about seduction.”
So watch out for the space opposite Louis Vuitton in Taj Mahal Hotel. That’s where Fendi will seduce you, again and again, early next year.
