Tatler+
One memorable experience in the '90s was all it took for the multifaceted individual to pay special attention to Fendi. Since then, she has gone on to own over 30 bags by the iconic Italian brand
Shuttling daily from Cambridge to London during her first year as a medical student in 1997 in the UK, June Rin stumbled upon the launch of the Fendi Baguette at Harrods. It was quite the original It bag that caused a storm, a piece that even today’s viral personalities would be jealous of.
Holding the Baguette in one hand, June contemplated if she needed it as a long line formed behind her. “I hadn’t slept for 36 hours, I was really tired and not very rational,” she recalled, sheepishly. “Who would buy this bag? It was so OTT! People behind me asked, ‘Are you going to take it?’ The answer was… yes!”
That moment in Harrods was when Fendi truly caught her attention. Designed in a simple shape that was roomy enough for essentials and small enough to nestle under your arm the same way the French carry their baguettes, the Baguette defined a generation of those who came of age in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Created by Fendi creative director of accessories, menswear and children, Silvia Venturini Fendi in 1997, the accessory was a rebel with a cause for individuality.