Fendi will present Maria Grazia Chiurithe house’s first Couture collection in Rome on Thursday, July 9, 2026. The evening show will take place at National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Artbringing the designer’s Couture Fall Winter 2026.27 collection to one of the city’s premier art institutions.
The event marks Chiuri’s first Couture presentation since returning to Fendi as Chief Creative Officer in October 2025. The Roman designer began her career at home and trained under the five Fendi sisters before building a career that later included senior creative roles at Valentino and Dior. She presented her first collection in her new role at Fendi during Milan Fashion Week in February 2026.
Fendi will open in the July evening with a private view “AFTER A PATH OF WORK. FENDI / KARL LAGERFELD 1985. AFTER STEPS THROUGH WORK.” The exhibition examines the relationship between the Roman house and Karl Lagerfeld and references an archival presentation that Fendi gave at the same gallery in 1985. After the preview, the museum will open the exhibition to the public from July 10 to October 25, 2026.
The pair link Chiuri’s arrival to a defining chapter in Fendi’s creative history. The five Fendi sisters appointed Lagerfeld as the house’s first artistic director in 1965. During his first year, he created the FF logo and introduced the ‘Fun Fur’ concept, which reshaped the house’s approach to fur. His collaboration with Fendi continued for 54 years, giving the designer an unusually long association with a single fashion house.
Founded in 1883, the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea is housed in a building designed by Cesare Bazzani for the International Exhibition of 1911. Its collection covers Italian and international art from the 19th century to the present, with around 20,000 works by figures such as Vincent van Gogh, Gustav Klimt, Amedeo Modigliani, Giacomo Balla, Lucio Fontana, Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly.
Fendi will present its Couture Fall Winter 2026.27 collection on the evening of July 9. The Karl Lagerfeld exhibition will welcome the public at the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea from July 10 to October 25, 2026.
