The Legacy of Ferragamo
For many Europeans in the early 20th Century, the West was the future. America was where possibility lay. After spending much of his youth apprenticing with local Italian shoemakers, Salvatore Ferragamo made the transatlantic journey at the tender age of sixteen to join his brother in Boston, who was working at a cowboy boot manufacturing plant. After briefly spending time in Santa Monica, Salvatore set up a small atelier in Hollywood that specialized in made-to-order footwear, on the corner of Las Palmas Avenue. Success came in the form of a bountiful partnership with Hollywood—designing footwear for both the screen and its stars. Ferragamo outfitted legendary actresses of both the silent era and the Golden Age of Hollywood like Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo, Mary Pickford.
After finding success in Hollywood, Salvatore did the unexpected and returned to his native Italy in 1927. The distinguished beauty and allure of Florence was certainly a draw, but the city’s history of master craftsmanship was what made it the perfect foundation for Salvatore to build his legacy. The tradition of leatherwork in Florence is embedded within the culture, dating back to antiquity, with tanneries using the river Arno to soak hides for centuries. Salvatore knew that for his designs to be finely crafted with the best materials, he would have to be directly at the source.
Fascinated by the question of how a shoe can be both beautiful and a comfort to wear, Salvatore studied human anatomy, taking night classes at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. An innovative visionary, he experimented with a range of materials and proportions, keeping in mind utility and elegance. Styles we may take for granted now, can be traced back to Salvatore’s inventive spirit. Not only known for his creation of the cork wedge and the cage sandal, Ferragamo is credited with popularizing the platform in the 1930s, while also inventing the steel arch used in stiletto heels. Over the course of his career, Salvatore would archive each of his designs to record his body of work and unknowingly create an extensive collection for the future designers of his house.
Salvatore ferragamo’s Work lives on
After his death in 1960, Salvatore’s wife Wanda Miletti Ferragamo was left to care for their six children and a business whose future seemed to hang in the balance. With the encouragement of the Ferragamo artisans and the help of eldest daughters Fiamma and Giovanna, Wanda took charge of the company. Her natural entrepreneurial sense made her into a quick businesswoman. Under Wanda’s stewardship, the legacy of the company flourished, always keeping in mind the values Salvatore instilled in his work. The house expanded their portfolio of designs with jewelry, fragrance, clothing, and accessories.
As time passed and the children grew up, each was inclined to different sides of the business. From the beginning Wanda was adamant that the company should stay within the family with Fiamma as head of shoes and bags, and Giovanna as designer of Ferragamo’s womenswear. As the other children came of age, and new generations of Ferragamos were born, each found their place within the expansive Ferragamo brand. As Leonardo Ferragamo remarks, “Living and operating in a family business makes it very exciting, you often find a constant overlap with what is family and what is business.”
In Italy, family is a sacred institution. There is a sense of care that is given to tending to the generations that came before you and fostering a legacy that can be passed down. Having reverence for the past has been an integral part of preserving Italy’s cultural history and bringing traditions forward in a world that is constantly changing. The passing down of technique and intricate craftsmanship is not only important to the Ferragamo family, but in Italy as a whole. This devotion to doing things artfully and with attention to detail gives the label “Made in Italy” even more prestige. In keeping the company within the family, this has only strengthened the house’s core values and approach to innovation that Salvatore Ferragamo was known for. It is only natural then, that the family does work to give back to the city of Florence that has offered so much inspiration to the house.
As part of their cultural mission, Ferragamo makes it a priority to restore and fortify Florence’s cultural heritage. This can be anything from the restoration of public sculptures to paintings. As Ferruccio Ferragamo told The Guardian, “We contribute in any way we can to maintain what we have here. It’s an honour to support the monuments, the paintings, the treasures.” One of the most prestigious projects being the Fountain of Neptune in Piazza della Signoria, a two-year project to restore one of Florence’s most famous fountains. “It has been a privilege for our company to support this important restoration project and see this work of art restored in its full splendour to Florence. This is the result of a virtuous partnership between the public and private sectors and it is our family’s way of thanking the city and upholding the close relationship that my mother and father forged with it. This project is a tangible expression of our gratitude to Florence,” says Ferruccio.
The Ferragamo way of life
Wanda Ferragamo was Honorary Chairman until her death in 2018, many noting that even in her nineties she came to the office every morning, where staff would affectionately call her “Signora.” Now, her children and grandchildren sit at top positions across the company, not only at the fashion house but also at the Fondazione Ferragamo. The foundation takes the family’s venerable position on legacy and instills it in future craftspeople and designers. Salvatore’s own “passion for craftsmanship, technological innovation, creativity, bond with the local culture” are key principles for the foundation. This is essential to the Ferragamo way of life. For Leonardo Ferragamo, this is the only way to be, “Like with my brothers and sisters, we have such a motivation, such a passion for our work that is very strong. A motivation that is also based on what we received from our parents; a sense of responsibility to continue to bring it forward, to give our best, to make it grow, to be successful. It’s very important to be able to transfer it to the next generation, and transfer the values, which are the most important thing.”
