Fendi Opens Second Design Prize With Furniture Brief
Fendi has launched the second edition of its Fendi Design Prize, with a winner to be revealed during Milan Design Week in April 2027.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Accessories
Fendi unveiled the second edition of its Fendi Design Prize, following a first edition whose winner was announced during Milan Design Week in April 2026. The brief for this year is "Where furniture meets imagination," and it was shared with leading global design schools.
Why it matters
The prize extends Fendi's push beyond fashion into interiors, as the brand builds out Fendi Casa with about 20 stores worldwide and a newly opened Paris flagship. For designers, it offers a route into a collaboration with the house's home collection.
Fendi Casa operates around 20 stores worldwide, seven of them directly operated, and opened its first Paris flagship earlier in 2026. Participants submit a living environment of furniture and accessories during the first two weeks of February, and the winner's identity will not be known until the April 2027 reveal.
The players
Fendi
Fendi is the Italian luxury fashion house known for its handbags and accessories, and it has expanded into home furnishings through Fendi Casa.
Giulio Cappellini
Giulio Cappellini is an Italian designer and creative director who curates the annual Fendi Design Prize.
Gustav Craft
Gustav Craft is a Swedish designer who won the first edition of the Fendi Design Prize with the "Via" project.
The details
The second edition asks designers to present a living environment combining furniture pieces and accessories, responding to the brief "Where furniture meets imagination." The first-edition winner, the "Via" project by Swedish designer Gustav Craft, is built around the sampietrino, the small basalt paving block used on Rome's streets for about 2,000 years, and was realized for Design Miami.
Timeline
Early 2026: Fendi Design Prize launched.
April 2026: First winner announced at Milan Design Week.
December 2026: Via project realized for Design Miami.
First two weeks of February 2027: Second-edition submissions accepted.
April 12 to 18, 2027: Second-edition winner revealed at Milan Design Week.
Industry Dynamics
The second edition builds directly on the first Fendi Design Prize, whose "Via" winner was announced at Milan Design Week in April 2026, keeping the same annual format and curator Giulio Cappellini. The move positions Fendi's accessories house alongside a growing set of luxury brands using design competitions to extend into home furnishings.
For designers, the prize offers a route into collaboration with Fendi Casa, which may develop a collection or selection of pieces with the first winner in 2027. Readers interested in the Fendi Casa collection will see its footprint grow as the brand expands its store network and Paris presence.
The takeaway
Luxury brands are increasingly using open design competitions to test new categories, so watch how Fendi's furniture direction develops after the April 2027 reveal.
What happens next
Submissions for the second edition open during the first two weeks of February 2027, with the winner to be revealed during Milan Design Week from April 12 to 18, 2027.
Further reading
Explore more in Accessories, where luxury brands and their design collaborations are tracked.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WWD.
