XIIth Florence Bienn

XIIth Florence Biennale 2019 - "Leonardo da Vinci" Lifetime Achievement Award (In Memoriam) to the spouses Salvatore and Wanda Ferragamo, respectively founder and director of the famous group synonymous with the highest quality in the field of "Made in Italy" fashion. Passionate about shoes, Salvatore Ferragamo (Bonito, Avellino, 1898) established himself in the 1920s as a "shoemaker of the stars" in Hollywood, as defined by the press of the time. Salvatore anticipates the times, revolutionizing fashion: he opens women's shoes, hitherto laced and closed and makes them more elegant and more comfortable. The success is such that he cannot cope with the orders. However, the American workforce is unable to make the shoes he wants and in 1927 Ferragamo decides to return to Italy, to open a laboratory in Florence, a city traditionally rich in skilled craftsmen. The following years consolidate its success and many celebrities come to Florence to have custom-made shoes made. After the war, Ferragamo's shoes became iconic, through inventions such as the reinforced metal stiletto heels, made famous by Marilyn Monroe, the gold sandals, and the invisible sandal with a nylon thread upper. After Salvatore's disappearance in 1960, the international fame of the brand does not undergo any decline, rather it inaugurates a new season, thanks to the guidance of his wife Wanda (Bonito 1921 - Fiesole 2018) and their sons and daughters who carry on the founder's legacy. • • • • #florencebiennale #ferragamo #fashion #art #design #craftmanship #madeinitaly