Soon after, he returned to Bonito and opened his first shoe store, where he was the youngest employee. This was the beginning of a successful business worth billions of dollars.
Ferragamo emigrated to Santa Barbara, California in 1915, where he was reunited with his three brothers, Alfonso, Girolamo and Secondino.
While attending graduate school at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Salvatore studied anatomy and learned that the arch of the foot supports the body’s weight. This information led the designer to the conclusion that the shoe needed to support the arch of the foot, and it was this concept that he applied to his future designs. Salvatore sincerely believed that no machine is capable of making perfect shoes, so all products must be sewn by hand.
Working on orders for the film industry gave the Salvatore Ferragamo fame and new clients. The success of working with Hollywood directors was accompanied by the opening of a store on Hollywood Boulevard in February 1925.
Salvatore made footwear for a female audience – fans of his work include such stars as Gina Lollobrigina, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and others. The exception was the artist Andy Warhol – for him Ferragamo made a men’s pair of shoes, in which the artistic genius loved to paint pictures.
The famous wedge is rightfully considered the brainchild of the Italian designer: due to steel shortages during World War II, Ferragamo had to experiment with cork filling in the space between the heel and ball of the foot for support. The result looked cute, the shoes were comfortable and were an instant hit.
In 1947, a shortage of raw materials led to the development of the America wedge-heeled shoe using nylon mesh. For his creation of the sample, Salvatore received the Neiman Marcus Award, becoming the first shoe designer to be awarded. And the famous stiletto heels, created by Ferragamo in 1952, are still relevant today.
The luxury shoe designer died on August 7, 1960. After his death, the company became the property of his wife Wanda. Daughters Fiamma and Joanna also joined the family business and the house has since expanded to produce eyewear, watches, bags and ready-to-wear for men and women.
The variety of styles of Salvatore Ferragamo shoes will please even the most capricious client: double monks, oxfords cut from a single piece of leather, moccasins with thick woven soles, loafers with large branded Gancini buckles and all kinds of sneakers that will appeal to the younger generation.
The range of brand bags is just as wide stylistically: from roomy and more compact leather backpacks, travel bags, messengers to briefcases of varying degrees of severity, fashionable belt bags, all kinds of folders and clutches.
The unique, exclusive design that distinguishes Salvatore Ferragamo products even after the death of the famous designer is achieved by combining style, creativity and innovation with the quality of materials and craftsmanship.
Considering the entire distribution structure, the Ferragamo group is present in more than 90 countries around the world. The brand’s products are distributed in Italy, Europe, America and Asia.
Today, one of the priority areas for production development is environmental friendliness: the brand uses electricity from renewable sources in the production process, and also produces capsule collections from recycled materials. An example is the Sustainable Thinking project – the Salvatore Ferragamo collection includes sneakers and bags made entirely from regenerated materials.