Activewear of late has been dominated by streetwear brands born from the kinds of athletic styles now considered mainstream. But what happens when one of luxury fashion’s most esteemed names tries its hand at the category? Fendi’s Pre-Fall 2020 collection gives us the answer.

Utilising all of its most recognisable codes––especially its logo and monogram––the Roman house swapped its usual fur and leather for nylon satin and stretch jersey to whip up an offering inspired by basketball and running. The silhouettes are kept extra roomy with staple pieces including track jackets, joggers, shorts and hoodies with a colour palette that riffs on the label’s signature brown and mustard yellow.

“Basketball inspired the lightness and the oversize elements of the silhouettes––baggy pants, broad vests and sweatshirts,” creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi told Robb Report. “The 25 on the jersey is a nod to the year my grandparents first founded Fendi as a fur and leather goods shop in 1925, in Rome.”

Basketball- and running-inspired silhouettes come in a range of innovative, technical fabrics. Courtesy of Fendi

The modern designs took those technical fabrics––which are largely waterproof and thermal––and gave them new life using traditional artisanal techniques, such as inlaying, only possible thanks to Fendi’s skilled teams. “We are always playing with new fabrics at Fendi, and using them in unexpected ways, and for this collection, functionality played the most important role,” Venturini Fendi said.

The sporty look even extends to footwear with the release of a new style: the Basketball-inspired Roma high-top sneaker. It has uppers featuring panels of the brand’s iconic interlocking Fs (a motif created by the late Karl Lagerfeld) along with carefully stitched layers of leather for maximum comfort and a logo-printed puffy tongue.

All of it is brought to life by model of the moment, Alton Mason, who Venturini Fendi said, “embodies the freedom of expression and fearless energy of Fendi. His unique talent is dynamic and powerful, embodying the Fendi Creativity.”