A Classic, Revisited

Little has changed with regard to the iconic fendi peekaboo, but a lot more is about to be shared. Meet the new Peekaboo iseeu

- Caroline Suganda

Flashback to Milan, 2008 when the Peekaboo first revealed itself on Fendi’s SS’09 runway, toted by models Lara Stone and Anja Rubik. Fast forward 12 years later, and little has changed about its essence, but a lot has been said and done about this icon.

The Peekaboo was certainly striking on many levels: it had a witty yet thoughtful name; it had no definitive front or back and you were encouraged to carry it in its open state, by undoing the twist lock on both sides, so as to reveal its contrasting colour, monogram and iconic Fendi monster eyes.

As such, the design of the Peekaboo presented its own interesting challenge: the inside had to look as good as the outside, while it had to be solidly constructed with a strong central frame (where the soft leather is stitched onto it like a pocket, by hand) so that the bag wouldn’t lose its balance when the flap was open or when the weight was unevenly distributed on both sides.

The bag — whose classic version comes in a 33cm x 26cm size – has seen multiple iterations in both sizes and finishes through the years. There were even unique one-off collaborations with design creatives such as the late legendary architect Zaha Hadid and most recently, graphic artist Joshua Vides.