Students Attend NYFW Fendi Show

The finale of the Fendi special show with all looks on display. Source: Zoya Groves '23

Luxury fashion house Fendi celebrated the 25th anniversary of their iconic baguette with a runway show to ring in New York Fashion Week (NYFW). Marist College Fashion students sat alongside celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Anna Wintour, Sarah Jessica Parker and more in Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom as models Bella Hadid and Lila Moss had all eyes on them down the stark white catwalk. 

“It has been a dream of mine to attend a show of this stature since I was a little girl and it definitely exceeded my expectations,” said Zoya Groves ‘23. Nearly everyone described the night of Sept. 9 as a dream fulfilled. 

25 seniors in the Fashion Program were given the opportunity to attend the show by submitting a request and being chosen at random, with faculty also in attendance. This show was a celebration of time, with collaborations from Marc Jacobs and Tiffany & Co. honoring the fashion world’s first “It” bag.

“Opportunities like these remind me that I made the right choice in choosing the Marist Fashion Program and I could not be more grateful that my first New York Fashion Week show was this one,” said Madison Breemen ‘23. 

The Italian fashion brand held the special show in New York because of the early success and pop culture this ubiquitous bag had in the Big Apple, most notably famed from a 2000s episode of “Sex and the City.” However, it will present the Spring/Summer 2023 womenswear collection during Milan Fashion Week (MFW) as usual. 

Many highlighted the opening of the show as their favorite part. “The energy in the room was palpable and the feeling is something I'll never forget,” said Breemen. Others were in awe at the closing as the wall-to-wall mirror was revealed to be a one-way mirror with the models lined up, putting each look on full display. 

For some, this wasn’t their first time participating in Fashion Week. Studying abroad in Italy is an incredible experience, but adding the glamorous MFW events is a major bonus for Fashion students. Breemen, Groves and Jo Anna Valdez ‘23 were all in attendance and even worked the Francesca Liberatore MFW show. 

“The show I attended in Milan was great, but the game completely changes when a famous fashion house is involved. Essentially, this event blew my mind,” said Valdez ‘23.

But for girls like Julia Campon ‘23, it was their first time experiencing Fashion Week. “I will definitely carry this event with me in my future because as much as it was a cool experience, I also learned so much. It was interesting to see a show in real life because watching a show virtually is such a different experience overall,” said Campon. 

The students were unanimous in their memorialization of this event. It is something they will hold near and dear to their hearts throughout their careers and lives.