FENDI DESIGN PRIZE 2026

The House announces the launch of the FENDI Design Prize, a new initiative dedicated to discovering and nurturing emerging talents, conceived in the spirit of the House’s legacy of fostering innovation and supporting the next generations

VIA by Gustav Craft

VIA by Gustav Craft 

On April 19th, Gustav Craft was named the winner of the first edition of the FENDI Design Prize for his project VIA from among six finalists, receiving a trophy at the FENDI Casa boutique in Piazza della Scala

Via begins with the sampietrino, the small basalt block that has paved the streets of Rome for two thousand years, the Eternal City's most intimate material truth

 

Via translates that truth into a collection of furniture – the woven leather seat a Roman road, the steel frame a surveyor's grid, the rug an aerial view of a Roman city worn down by centuries of living

 

Every object asks the same question: what does it mean to make something that lasts?

Gustav Craft_portrait

The Winner

Gustav Craft is a Swedish product designer based in Milan shaped by a Scandinavian belief that good design should last generations, and with a curiosity for materials picked up along the way, he approaches every project with the conviction that how something is made is as important as how it looks

“We are honored to introduce the FENDI Design Prize. FENDI has historically nurtured talents, and through this initiative we wish to keep on building on this inspiring path. The vision of the new generations from around the world interpreting our Maison’s codes is something very stimulating for us while we look forward to discovering the next standout designer of the future.”

 

Ramon Ros, FENDI Chairman and CEO

04_FENDI Design Prize26_trophy

The Prize

Curated by Giulio Cappellini, the FENDI Design Prize is guided by an international jury of leading design personalities, including Cristina Celestino, Joseph Grima, Neri & Hu, Rossana Orlandi, Josh Owen and Patricia Urquiola

The 2026 Jury

Giulio Cappellini

Influential design leader and visionary art director of Cappellini S.p.A., Cappellini has shaped global design culture through numerous collaborations and was recently honored with the Compasso d’Oro Lifetime Achievement Award

Patricia Urquiola

Designer and architect Urquiola trained in Madrid and Milan under Achille Castiglioni before founding her studio in 2001 and, as Art Director of Cassina, is widely awarded and collaborates globally across design, architecture, and industry

Cristina Celestino

With an eponymous studio in Milan, the architect and designer has been featured in AD, Domus, Elle Decor, Wallpaper, Ideat and Vogue, and awarded most recently by Maison & Objet

Lyndon Neri

Co-founder of Neri&Hu in Shanghai and a Harvard GSD graduate, Neri combines practice with teaching at leading universities and was elevated to Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2025

Joseph Grima

Achitect and curator, co-founder of Alcova and Space Caviar, former Domus editor and Design Academy Eindhoven creative director, he curates exhibitions and biennials exploring design’s role in society

Josh Owen

Industrial designer, educator, and author, Owen is president of his eponymous design studio, Josh Owen LLC, and is the Vignelli Distinguished Professor of Design and Director of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies

Rossana Orlandi

A graduate of Marangoni Milan, Orlandi initially worked in fashion, designing textiles for the world's greatest designers before opening her influential design gallery in Milan's Magenta district in 2002