carla fendi one of the five sisters who helped create the familys leather goods business into an international fashion house has passed away following a long illness at the age of 79 the italian luxury label confirmed fendis death on monday according to the hollywood reporterwe honour our dear carla whose loss deeply affects us all she has been a source of inspiration and an example of dedication culture of work and sensitivity to beauty for all of us a post on the official instagram account of fendi read the page also shared carlas blackandwhite picture in which she is all smiles carla as company president was the public face of her family business until they sold to the french luxury group lvmh in 1999 the renowned fashion house known for its fur and fur accessories was founded in 1925 in rome by adele and edoardo fendi