An Inside Look at Fendi’s Newest Artisan-Made Baguette Bag
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Fendi’s “Hand in Hand” initiative is heading to Australia and welcoming a new artist into the fold: Natalie Miller. The program, which began in 2020, engages artisans to create their version of the Italian house’s iconic Baguette style. First created by Silvia Venturini Fendi, the brand’s Artistic Director of Accessories and Menswear, the Baguette debuted in 1997. Today, it serves as a blank canvas.
Noted for her textile work, Miller is based in East Kangaloon in the Southern Highlands in New South Wales. Craft runs in her family: Miller’s mother was a dressmaker and her father was a toolmaker. Her Australian heritage often inspires her work, and her picturesque studio impacts the vibrant colors she often uses. Miller’s hand-dyed Australian merino wool is a signature of her tapestries, and she brought the textile to her version of the Fendi Baguette. She kept the colors of the bag muted, in deep contrast with her work, to reflect the natural hues of her region.
“My endeavor was to infuse the design with natural dyes that are distinctly Australian and characteristic of my local region,” she tells ELLE. “[It was also] to enter a meditative state during the act of weaving, and to revel in the happiness that comes from bringing a creation to life.”
Miller used a knotting technique called rya to create her Baguette, which she learned during her two years at Sturt Gallery & Studios. She used wool sourced from Tasmania and processed in Nundle Woollen Mill in New South Wales, making this a truly local project.
The “Hand in Hand” program initially focused specifically on Italian craftsmanship, but has since expanded worldwide. The artist joins a select, global group, which includes artists from Madagascar, Scotland, Japan, and more.
A version of this story appears in the February 2025 issue of ELLE.
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