Always more frequently, the worlds of fashion and architecture are blending. This is confirmed by the recent collaborations of the French designer and multidisciplinary artist Ronan Bouroullec with Issey Miyake and the Chinese architect and founder of MAD Architects, Ma Yansong, with Fendi.

Following the multi-layered version created by Zaha Hadid of Fendi’s iconic Peekaboo bag for a charity auction in 2014 and the collection of accessories made from tree bark and washi paper designed last year by Kengo Kuma, at the runway show of the Fall/Winter 2024 men's collection during Milan Fashion Week, the fashion house presented accessories designed by the founder of MAD Architects, Ma Yansong, under the creative direction of Silvia Venturini Fendi, artistic director of accessories and menswear at the Maison. Fendi has indeed been creating a series of partnerships over the years to align the worlds of fashion and architecture. The sneakers and bags created by Yansong echo the sinuous forms of his buildings. In particular, his interpretation of the Peekaboo bag features cuts on the front inlaid with pieces of varnished aluminum that peek out through the gaps. Aluminum is also used for the bag’s double handle, designed to fit comfortably into the palm. The sneakers are characterized by an injection-molded sole with glossy air bubbles and eye stays.

Yansong, enthusiastic about the experience, has expressed the intention to dedicate himself more often, in the future, to designing objects even closer to people than buildings, such as clothing or furniture, and even cars. His idea is to transport the principles of urban planning and architecture on a smaller scale, returning to a more multidisciplinary practice of the architect's profession.

Ronan Bouroullec – who in 2000 had designed the interiors of Issey Miyake’s A-POC store in Paris alongside his brother Erwan – has seen his colorful works reinterpreted by the team at Homme Plissé Issey Miyake, the men’s line, which transformed them into garments presented at Paris Design Week at the Palais de Tokyo, a temple of French contemporary art. The collaboration – which Issey Miyake has referred to as a “creative session” – is not random, as Bouroullec uses a set of Japanese felt-tip pens as his preferred tool for his daily artistic practice.

Bouroullec stated: “I have received many requests from fashion brands, and I have always said no. It seems to me that fashion uses things only to quickly discard them. But Issey Miyake is different [...]. I wanted to see something new, where [my works] were not seen as decorative objects but as an integral part of design.” The result is a collection that successfully hybridizes art and fashion, translating their respective languages with unprecedented aesthetic and design intentions, both in terms of aesthetics and poetics.

The garment silhouettes, as well as a series of asymmetric scarves, echoed the forms of Bouroullec’s work, and at the same time, the set design featured his works, creating a continuum of references, making it possible to effectively wear designs rather than simply flatten them onto printed fabric. “It was like creating an exhibition or a painting, color after color,” said Bouroullec, who also appreciated the dramatic and ephemeral aspect of the runway show, seen as a precise and distinct performance.