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Michael Phelps is on the line, wondering when he can get his hands on that new FENDI x Arena capsule collection. In reality, he isn’t – but he should be.
“High fashion and everything.” That’s the name of the game. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with that; because let’s be honest, if you can brand it, we’ll buy it – Supreme brick, anyone?
Presented as part of the FENDI Men’s Spring/Summer 2022 runway, FENDI x Arena was made with the fashion-vlogger-by-day, swimmer-by-night type in mind. I’ve yet to meet one, but if my swimming abilities weren’t so sub-optimal, I’d be all over this drop.
The two-piece capsule is a drastic rejig of the two most important accessories in the Olympic swimmer’s arsenal (bar a costume or pants), the humble swimming cap and goggles.
Arena is a leader in the world of swimwear, and rightly so. The brand is of rich sportswear blood, having been founded in 1973 by Horst Dassler, son of addias founder Adolf Dassler.
Like all great sportswear brands that have gone on to become leaders in the field, Arena found its footing via the Olympics, namely the 1976 Summer Games, where a strong lineup of athletes competed wearing the brand’s swimwear.
Now, with FENDI, the Arena legacy is recontextualized through luxury. The Lycra swim cap, which is unlike any I’ve seen before, features the classic FF monogram logo in brown, with contrasting yellow co-branding.
The star of the show is undoubtedly the limited-edition goggles, which take Arena’s “The One” model as their base. Though they may look blinding at first glance, the goggles FF logo-affixed mirrored lenses perform to the same level as any other “The One.”
You can get your hands on the limited edition Fendi x Arena swimming accessories from January 2022 in FENDI boutiques and selected global opticians.