Fendi continues to set the pace for innovation and artistry with Fatto a Mano for the Future (handmade for the future), in which the luxury fashion house paired with local artists Eli Baxter and Aaron Padilla to build, cut, assemble, sew and create contemporary design pieces that fuse each artist’s signature craft with Fendi’s Italian sensibilities and materials.
The two artists were selected among of pool of University of Hawai‘i alum and graduate art students, and worked intimately with Fendi’s Roman craftsmen on site at the Ala Moana and Royal Hawaiian Center locations.
Eli Baxter’s cerebral installations, consisting of recycled bicycle tire rubber and Fendi selleria leather, explores scientific and philosophical concepts while focusing on raw materials and handcrafted details. Baxter creates spatial experiences through her conical and floral creature-like installations that cleverly mix her modern methods with Italian artisanship.
A master woodworker, Padilla manipulates natural wood segments into elegant woven and knotted sculptures. By constructing and deconstructing these pieces, Padilla organically incorporates Fendi leather to create modern designs with mixed textures.
The Fatto a Mano for the Future series is a perpetual conversation between varying creative fields, mixed materials, artist and audience, design and craftsmanship, and the harmony between old-world principles and modern-day methods.
The sculpture installations will be on display at Fendi’s Royal Hawaiian Center and Ala Moana locations through the end of this month.
