The History of Salvatore Ferragamo Began with a Genius Shoemaker
Salvatore Ferragamo was born in the early 20th century in southern Italy. He showed glimpses of his talent as a shoemaker from childhood, making his first pair of shoes at the age of 9 and opening his own store at 11. At the age of 15 (1919), Ferragamo decided to emigrate to the United States to learn the mass production of shoes. Ferragamo travels to the U.S. by himself and opens a shoe repair and custom-made production store in California. Because of the reputation of Ferragamo's store among the film industry there, he later opened another store in Hollywood. Ferragamo's shoes were made to order for such film stars as Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, earning him the nickname "Shoemaker to the Stars," and he became a favorite of many celebrities. He also attended a university in the U.S., and based on the knowledge he learned there, he devised shoes that were not only beautiful but also biologically painless. He received numerous patents and was highly praised there as well.
Returning to Italy...A Series of Difficulties
In 1927, he returned to his hometown in Italy. In 1927, he returned to his hometown in Italy and opened his own store in Florence, where he made and sold handmade shoes. The shoes made using Ferragamo's unique manufacturing method with talented shoemakers were very popular with shoe retailers, and he succeeded in signing contracts with major retailers, but gradually, friction with the craftsmen began to surface, and the California company's operations became a stumbling block to the Italian company. In 1929, the Great Depression broke out in New York, and the Hollywood store had to be sold, and eventually the Italian Ferragamo store went bankrupt. Ferragamo was hit hard and lost everything, but with the support of Hollywood customers and celebrities from all over the world who were involved in the American period, the brand was revived. Ferragamo revived the brand, but he was also the inventor of a variety of shoes that had never existed before. At the time, shoes usually had pointed toes, but this had the disadvantage that they hurt the feet a little when worn. Ferragamo then invented the "French toe" which has a rounded toe. The French toe, which was easier to wear than conventional shoes, was favored mainly by Hollywood stars. It became very popular. Influenced by Egyptian culture, Ferragamo invented shoes with a high degree of exposure, which became a worldwide hit as "sandals" and established a new style of shoes that had never existed before. Ferragamo was the first non-American to win the Neiman Marcus Award, the pinnacle of American fashion, for its innovative design and meticulously calculated, easy-to-wear technology.(Coco Chanel and Christian Dior later won this award.)
The Great Depression in 1929
Wanda, Fiamma, Giovanna, Leonardo... Ferragamo's wives and children who helped the brand grow into a comprehensive fashion brand
Ferragamo, who had a turbulent life with company bankruptcies and even awards, died in the 1960s, and his family took over the Ferragamo brand. In fact, Ferragamo had a dream to develop his brand into a comprehensive fashion brand, and they would struggle to make this dream come true while preserving the value of the brand built by Salvatore Ferragamo. Ferragamo's eldest daughter, Fiamma, who had been training in the workshop since Ferragamo was in good health, launched a collection of handbags. Giovanna, the second daughter, who was also studying at a fashion school, made her debut with a clothing collection. In 1967, Fiamma received the Neiman Marcus Award, the same as Ferragamo, and was recognized for her abilities, realizing her father's dream of turning Ferragamo into a comprehensive fashion brand. Later, production of silk scarves and neckties was started by the third daughter Fulvia, and the second son Leonardo developed a new men's line, and Ferragamo began to offer a diverse range of products, including leather goods, apparel, and perfume product lines. While it is not uncommon for luxury brands to be acquired by giant groups, Salvatore Ferragamo is still family-owned and operated, and in 2011 it was listed on the Italian stock exchange, continuing its development, and the Ferragamo brand continues to grow and expand, leveraging the strength of its founder Salvatore's DNA in the shoe field. Ferragamo brand has become a brand loved by many people by providing luxury leather goods, apparel, accessories, etc., while making the most of its strength in the field of shoes, which is also the founder Salvatore's DNA.
