It looks like Italian designer Illaria Venturini Fendi will finally bring her sustainable Carmina Campus bags to the United States.
Illaria is the youngest of three daughters born to Anna Fendi, one of the five sisters in charge of the iconic Fendi fashion house. Yes, she’s of that Fendi stock. But she turned her back on the family business and her life of luxury when she moved to a sustainable, organic farm just outside Rome.
There she developed Carmina Campus, a range of environmentally friendly handbags created by artisans in third-world countries. Carmina Campus has many different lines, but some of the most popular are from the 100% Made in Africa collection. These accessories are made from materials salvaged from Kenyan and Ugandan landfill sites. Carmina Campus employs local artisans under fair trade conditions to turn this trash into fashionable treasures.
Illaria Venturini Fendi and her team recently spent ten days in the United States pitching her bags to major retailers. Surely one of them has to bite. It’s rare that we see a designer with such pedigree creating bags that are as good for the planet and its people. Do you think America would embrace Carmina Campus?
