Harrods does not exactly do quiet, and neither does FENDI, so two new pop up boutiques taking over the ground floor feels like a pretty natural match. Open until 26 September, the spaces celebrate FENDI’s Fall Winter 2026 collection while bringing some of the warmth, craft and character of Rome into the middle of Knightsbridge.
The experience begins before you even make it through the doors. FENDI has taken over all 24 windows along Brompton Road, with displays inspired by the runway setting for Maria Grazia Chiuri’s first Fall Winter collection for the House. Dressed windows, lightboxes and campaign imagery by Jo Ann Callis stretch across the exterior, making sure nobody misses the memo that a new era of FENDI has arrived.
Inside, the first space feels more like stepping into FENDI’s world than simply walking onto another shop floor. The new collection is displayed alongside some of the House’s most recognisable bags, but everything has enough room to breathe. It is polished, obviously, but still warm and inviting, with plenty to take in without the space ever feeling crowded or overly serious.
The second space gives the Baguette its own moment, bringing together more than 20 different interpretations of the bag. Seeing them all in one place feels somewhere between an archive, an exhibition and a very expensive group photo. There is a sense of nostalgia to it, but it never feels stuck in the past. Some pieces come back because the internet has decided they are relevant again. The Baguette never really needed the reminder.
The best part is watching the craft happen in front of you. Throughout the pop up, artisans from Mumbai and Florence will work inside the space, giving visitors a closer look at the time, patience and skill behind the bags. It changes the rhythm of the experience completely. You stop browsing for a minute, watch someone fully locked into what they are doing and suddenly understand why these pieces carry the weight they do.
Luxury brands love talking about craftsmanship, but it hits differently when you can actually see the people behind it. Instead of only presenting everything once it is perfect and ready to be photographed, FENDI opens up part of the process and lets visitors into the story. The result feels more human, more memorable and much closer to an open atelier than a traditional retail pop up.
The whole takeover balances the history of FENDI with the fresh energy of Maria Grazia Chiuri’s new chapter. There is Roman character, a bit of theatre and plenty of beautiful things to look at, but the real pull is the atmosphere. It gives people a reason to stay, look properly and experience the House beyond the clothes and bags.
