FENDI EXIT: Fendi‘s longtime chief communication officer Cristiana Monfardini is exiting the Rome-based house, WWD has learned.
“After 20 unparalleled years, I have decided it was the right time for me to move on from my role […] to pursue new interests,” wrote Monfardini in an internal memo seen by WWD. “I extend my deepest gratitude to LVMH, Silvia Venturini Fendi and the maison for this extraordinary journey, a time filled with iconic and unforgettable memories I will forever cherish. My sincere thanks go to my team for what we have accomplished together. I wish [CEO] Ramon [Ros] and Fendi the very best in their next chapter.”
Before joining Fendi, Monfardini worked with Gianni Versace, where she started her career in 1994, followed by Dolce & Gabbana, Escada in Munich and Paris, and Moschino.
She has been in charge of the communication of some of Fendi’s main events, ranging from the fashion show on the Great Wall of China in 2007 for the spring 2008 collection designed by Karl Lagerfeld and Venturini Fendi under the lead of then-chief executive officer Michael Burke, to the 2016 show at the Trevi Fountain marking Fendi’s 90th anniversary under then-CEO Pietro Beccari. She built relationships with several Fendi brand ambassadors, from Stray Kids’ Bang Chan, Nicholas Galitzine and Zhang Ruoyun to South Korean actress Song Hye-kyo, to name a few. Among her duties, she also conceived the F is For platform dedicated to and created by Millennials.
Monfardini exits Fendi, which is controlled by LVMH, at a time of major changes. Ros was previously president and CEO of Louis Vuitton, Mainland China, and joined Fendi in July, succeeding Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou.
Maria Grazia Chiuri, after exiting Dior in May, was appointed chief creative officer of Fendi in October and her first womenswear collection will be shown in Milan next February. This will be followed by menswear in June and couture in July, pointing to a departure from the past, as Chiuri is in charge of all divisions.
At the end of September, Silvia Venturini Fendi was named honorary president. Since 1994 she had been responsible for the accessories and menswear lines. During the centenary of the house this year, she was also tasked with the design of the women’s collections after Kim Jones in October 2024 exited his position as Fendi’s artistic director of haute couture, ready-to-wear and fur collections for women.
