Carla Fendi, fashion icon and patron, dies at 80

Carla Fendi, honorary president of the Fendi fashion house and a noted philanthropist, died in Rome at age 80. The fourth of five Fendi sisters, she joined the family business in the late 1950s, focusing on public relations and international expansion, particularly in the US market. Her strategic vision earned her the 2013 America Prize from the Italian President for strengthening Italy-US ties. A 50-year collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld, who joined in 1965, transformed Fendi from fur and leather goods into a global fashion powerhouse. In 2007, she founded the Fondazione Carla Fendi with her husband Candido Speroni to support art, literature, cinema, fashion, environment, and social projects. Recent restoration work included two side altars in the presbytery of Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta in Piancastagnaio, Siena. She had a deep connection to Spoleto, supporting the Festival dei Due Mondi since the 1980s under Carlo Menotti. In 2012, the foundation established the Premio Fondazione Carla Fendi, awarded annually to cultural figures. Since 2010, the foundation has supported the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and restored the Teatro Caio Melisso in Spoleto. Her funeral was held at the Campidoglio.