For Design Miami/ 2024, Fendi invited London-based designer Lewis Kemmenoe to create a new body of work – a unique confluence of the sensibilities of his own practice and those of the distinctly Roman Maison.  

Following a period of research, which included visits to Rome’s museums, botanical gardens and Fendi headquarters at Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, as well as Fendi Factory in the heart of Tuscany's countryside, Kemmenoe presents his ænigma collection.   The title is the Latin word for riddle, or puzzle, but it also has an association in English, in the word ‘enigma’, meaning something difficult to understand or explain. 

As part of the collection, Kemmenoe reinterpreted the Fendi Peekaboo Soft in Fendi leathers cut into a jacket pattern from the Maison's artisans, then patchworked to emulate a key motif of his work. The hardware carries a further connection, a timber used throughout ænigma forms the internal bar, while silver and brass screws reflect the two prominent metals in the furniture. Staying true to the nature of the Peekaboo, a hidden wooden texture becomes exposed upon opening the bag.

The form of the ænigma collection invites moments of analysis into its production process. Box joints are used not only as a construction technique but also as an organic vehicle to integrate the FF motif. A jacket pattern from the fashion house’s atelier is reimagined into timber patchwork—a staple of Lewis’ work. Additionally, the bark of pine trees that permeate Rome is cast into brass and aluminum.  Another fil rouge of the collection is a duality in materiality. Organic matter, whether timber or stone, is offset by processed materials such as metal.  The collection comprises two chairs, a cabinet, two wall panels, two lamps, a coffee table, three vessels, and a reinterpretation of the iconic Peekaboo Soft bag.