Ferragamo presents the retrospective Salvatore Ferragamo 1898-1960: an extraordinary journey through the life of the fashion house’s founder to celebrate his pioneering spirit, his iconic creations and connections, and his extraordinary vision of invention and innovation.

One hundred years after the opening of the first Salvatore Ferragamo store in Hollywood in 1923, this commemorative exhibition highlights the most important milestones and chapters in the history of the man, craftsman and visionary businessman, the “Shoemaker to the Stars”, who always went ahead At your time. He forged an unparalleled tradition of creativity and modernity that still inspires the house today and is reflected in each of its expressions of elegance and excellence.

Following the first traveling retrospective inaugurated in 1985 at the Palazzo Strozzi – which was followed by the founding of the Ferragamo Archive and the Ferragamo Museum – this new exploration back in time not only illustrates the ideas and masterpieces of Salvatore Ferragamo, but It is also an important opportunity to reflect on the Museum’s role as a cultural and conservation system committed to an ongoing dialogue between past and present, heritage and contemporaneity, the brand and its global community.

An extraordinary collection of documents, objects, works of art, photographs and videos attest to his boundless passion and vision for the future, showcasing the aesthetic style of Salvatore’s shoes and revealing his important contribution to the renaissance of craftsmanship and industry. of Made in Italy.

The exhibition brings together and connects multiple levels of research and inspiration that juxtapose and intersect to offer a deep insight into the founder’s mindset: his anatomical studies, his expert workmanship and decorations, his experimentation with color, his bold investigation of forms and materials and the various artistic and cultural inspirations that eventually brought Salvatore back to Florence, Italy, in 1927.

Salvatore Ferragamo 1898-1960
Exhibition Itinerary 

Section I: The story of Salvatore Ferragamo. From his birth in Bonito in 1898 to his untimely death in Fiumetto in 1960, Salvatore’s story is described in detail thanks to almost 38 years of biographical research that documents his life in the first half of the 20th century, straddling two wars. and two worlds: Italy and America.

Section II: Hollywood Boot Shop. Photographs, videos and original shoes document the stay in Hollywood between 1923 and 1927, with the opening of the first Salvatore Ferragamo store: a place of art and crafts that would soon become a point of reference for international celebrities and movie stars such as Pola Negri, Mary Pickford, Joan Crawford and Rudolph Valentino.

Section III: Materials and inspirations. A rare anthology of skins, objects and works of art captures the pioneering spirit of an artist who loved to invent, innovate and experiment. Salvatore was an artisan who revolutionized the world of footwear by molding all types of materials, drawing inspiration from different worlds, cultures and artistic movements.

Section IV: Balance and anatomy. This section is dedicated to Salvatore’s studies on the structure and mechanics of the foot and his ability to develop new solutions based on the distribution of body weight, like an engineer or an architect. It features a collection of wooden shoe lasts, photos with his clients, and his rich personal library.

Section V: Architectural forms. This small section showcases eight shoe styles selected for their unique shape and lack of decoration, demonstrating an almost architectural study of the shoe that Salvatore conceived as a perfect, harmonious balance of lines and symmetries, weights and measurements.

Section VI: Patents. The patents for the shoe construction techniques developed by Salvatore – he submitted no less than 369 – attest to his approach to design, typical of the design world, and his idea of ​​producing even the most exclusive artisanal creations in multiples. Among his numerous inventions, the cork wedge heel, the cage heel and the shell-shaped sole stand out.

Section VII: New Renaissance. Then, as now, Florentine artisan tradition inspired the dream of a New Renaissance at the intersection of design, material culture, and the skill of human hands. Ferragamo’s “Made in Italy” spirit is manifested in the unique ornamentation and textures of its creations, clearly inspired by the traditions of Italian goldsmiths and the works of the great artists of the 16th century.

Section VIII: Creativity in color. The prized shoes from the Ferragamo Archive embody Salvatore’s exuberant use of color, in primary monochromes, geometric patchworks and optical effects. Influenced by futurist and cubist artists of the avant-garde, the memory of his native country and the landscapes of California, he painted from a palette that ranged from marine tones with bright touches of gold and silver, to red, the color that He preferred above all others, a symbol of energy and life.

Section IX: Famous shoes and feet. The final section of the exhibition traces an invisible connection between the shoes designed by the “cobbler of dreams” and those who wore them: movie stars, aristocrats and the international jet set. Their images are shown wearing shoes they commissioned from Salvatore, who personally measured his clients’ feet and took note of their idiosyncrasies, favorite styles and personal tastes.

Ferragamo returns to its roots for its new fall 2023 campaign.