Fendi Show Goes on After It Sheds Some Fur From Catwalk

SEOUL, South Korea, June 3, 2011 -- Fendi's glitz and glamour showed off with a new colorful, young and sporty look in its 2011 fall-winter fashion collection.

It was also notable for its use of fur, although less than what it had originally planned on. Some of the fur was stripped from the show at the insistence of the South Korean government when anti-fur activists had threatened to protest.

But the largest show in Asia that Fendi and the Seoul Metropolitan Government launched Thursday with much ambition still attracted groups of animal rights protesters shouting slogans of anti-fur outside the venue.

"No fur, no Fendi," chanted 80 to 90 protesters who included school children while a woman spread red paint on a sheet of paper with the name Fendi on it.

One banner read "the company of blood, Fendi. The city of blood, Seoul."

World-renowned, Italian fashion house Fendi's fashion show in Seoul comes at a time when Asia, particularly China, Japan, and Korea has become a vital market for European fashion industries.

When animal rights activists threatened two weeks ago to protest, the Seoul government had demanded that Fendi drop fur from the catwalk or risk the show's being canceling altogether.

Fendi at that time had already poured in big bucks to prepare for the show, as well as sent invitations out to worldwide celebrities such as Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi.

For the Seoul government, the Fendi show was a part of a string of celebrating events to promote a new culture center, the Floating Island, built on a man-made island on the Han River.

It weaved in perfectly with Seoul's aspiring image as Asia's center of design.

After behind-the-doors negotiation, Fendi compromised and took some fur out, instead including more items such as bags, shoes and accessories.

The show was on.

"It was about the celebration of this park ... and what Fendi had always in mind was to present a full view of what a fashion house does," Fendi CEO Michael Burke said.

He also said the show was not "a fur fashion show," as some people had called it, but encompassed all kinds of fashion. "Women's wear, men's wear, we had beautiful little children on the runway and, of course, fashion house like Fendi also fashion fur," he added.

Speaking of the fashion line Thursday, Fendi creative director Silvia Fendi said, "It's quite minimal, kind of like a uniform. This girl looks like an art teacher because she's a little bit severe. But then maybe also in the evening she's high collars, long sleeve but in the back there's a big slit."

ABC News' Esther Kim and Yoon Gi Jang contributed to this report.