Ferragamo

Ferragamo shoes blend technical perfection, comfort, and high style. From the humble beginnings of its founder, Salvatore Ferragamo, to today’s extensive line of shoes, accessories, and ready-to-wear products, the company is now a firmly established leader in luxury goods.

Salvatore Ferragamo was born in the small village of Bonito, Italy, in 1898, where his boyhood fascination with shoes led to an apprenticeship with a local cobbler. At just 16 years of age, Ferragamo immigrated to the United States, where he soon joined his older brothers in running a shoe repair shop in Santa Barbara. By the mid-1920s, Ferragamo had become a sought-after shoe designer in Hollywood. Although he returned to Italy in 1927—this time settling in Florence—movie stars continued to wear Ferragamo’s designs. He became known as the “shoemaker to the stars,” and developed close relationships with style icons such as Greta Garbo and Marilyn Monroe.

Studies of human anatomy informed Ferragamo’s designs, and led to his development of the wedge heel in the 1930s. He also studied chemical engineering in order to understand leather dyeing techniques. However, Ferragamo’s creativity was enhanced, rather than hindered, by wartime rationing restrictions, and some of his most notable innovations involved the use of unique materials. In lieu of leather, Ferragamo experimented with raffia, cellophane, and hemp. He also introduced wedge heels made from cork and wood.

Ferragamo’s expertly crafted shoes helped to establish Italy’s reputation for fine luxury exports following the Second World War. In 1947, he introduced the “F heel,” a sculptural, delicate version of the wedge that is often considered his most exquisite design. When the stiletto became the dominant heel style of the late 1950s, Ferragamo’s versions were lauded for their ease of wear. After his death in 1960, Ferragamo’s family continued his legacy. Quality craftsmanship remains integral to the brand’s identity, and recent focus on the use of chemical-free, non-polluting materials demonstrates the company’s ongoing, contemporary approach to Ferragamo’s reputation for innovative design.