Salvatore Ferragamo is the name behind one of fashion's most iconic brands. To say he was a shoe designer would be an understatement; he was an innovator, a visionary craftsman and a lover of art in all its forms. His career began in the small town of Bonito, in southern Italy, and extended to the most exclusive circles of Hollywood and Florence, transforming a humble craft into an expression of elegance and ingenuity through creativity and, above all, his passion for art.
2023 marks the centenary of Ferragamo's first store opening in Hollywood, a key milestone in his career. To commemorate the anniversary, the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum in Florence dedicated the exhibition Salvatore Ferragamo 1898-1960 to him, a large-scale retrospective that covers his entire life and work. The exhibition, which will be open to the public until April 2025, includes an impressive collection of documents, work samples, videos and objects significant to his life and work.
From a young age, Ferragamo showed an insatiable interest in shoemaking. Despite the reluctance of his father, who considered the trade too modest, Salvatore followed his passion. He began by learning the techniques of artisanal shoemaking in Naples, but quickly wanted to go further. While still a teenager, he opened his first shop in his hometown, a modest business that soon outgrew his ambitions.
His big break came when he moved to the United States in 1915, joining his brothers in California. There, in Los Angeles, he was introduced to the film industry thanks to a brother who worked ironing costumes for films and an actor cousin. Soon, Hollywood studios began to entrust him with the manufacture of shoes for their productions. In his first store, located in front of Grauman's Egyptian Theater, Ferragamo began creating pieces for the great stars of the time, such as Pola Negri, Mary Pickford and Rudolph Valentino, earning himself the title of “shoemaker to the stars”.
Beyond Hollywood, Ferragamo had a constant desire to innovate and began to use materials such as fish skin, cork, raffia and even cellophane, leaving leather, the material par excellence, for others. Ferragamo was inspired not only by practical needs, but also by artistic influences. The discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 inspired the styles and ornamentation of the sandals he designed for The Ten Commandments, directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Similarly, the art collections of Florence and contemporary art movements, such as Fauvism, Cubism and Futurism, also marked his style, such as the colors and geometric shapes of Sonia Delaunay.
One aspect that set him apart was his knowledge of human anatomy, which he developed while living in the United States. Aware of the importance of ergonomics, Ferragamo designed shoes that were not only beautiful, but also comfortable and functional. He personally measured his customers' feet to create wooden molds - meticulous sculptures - that reflected the peculiarities of each foot. As he himself said: “I love feet. They speak to me. When I hold them in my hands, I feel their strengths, their weaknesses, their vitality or their deficiencies. A good foot, with firm muscles and a strong arch, is a pleasure to touch, a masterpiece of divine work.”
But beyond his creative vision, his influence transcended the boundaries of fashion, establishing a dialogue between art and design, where form and function complemented each other. Ferragamo, with his obsession for detail and his ability to integrate artistic elements into each design, left a mark on the history of footwear and the evolution of 20th century visual culture, his name still being synonymous with sophistication and elegance today.