Salvatore Ferragamo rise to
international success is a truly inspirational story with 80 years of heritage
behind it. He was born on 1898 in Bonito, Italy and by the age of nine he found
his calling for shoemaking after successfully creating a pair of shoes for his
sister to wear on her confirmation.
He apprenticed for a
shoemaker in Naples and opened his first shop in his parent’s home in 1912 at
age 13. A year later he decided to go to America to work for his brothers at
Boston and then he eventually moved to Santa Barbara, California and finally
Hollywood where he opened his shoe-repair shop in 1923 and became known as the
“Shoemaker to the Stars.” He continued to strive to make shoes that were not
only pleasing the aesthetics but fit comfortably by studying the human anatomy
at the University of Southern California. He was becoming popular among
legendary Hollywood celebrities such as Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe.
Finally, he decided that
American labor was not making shoes of quality that satisfied his taste, he
returned to Florence, Italy for the skilled craftsmanship shoemakers. However,
the brand faced financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy in 1933 but he
still expanded his operations during 1950 to a workforce of 700 expert artisans
cranking out 350 pairs of hand-made shoes a day.
He died in 1960 at age 60 but
he did accomplish his dream of producing the most beautiful shoes in the world.
His family continues to carry on that great legacy and expanded it from shoes
to luxury bags, eyewear, silk accessories, watches, perfumes, and ready to wear
clothing line lead by Massimiliano Giornetti.
Works Cited
"The Founder and His Legend." Museo Salvatore Ferragamo. Salvatore
Ferragamo Spa, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2013.
Gonsalves, Rebecca. "Salvatore
Ferragamo Built an EMPIRE on Shoes Worn by Stars from AUDREY HEPBURN to MARILYN
MONROE. Decades Later, the A-Listers are Still Fans - but Appealing to ANGELINA
JOLIE and LADY GAGA Isn't enough for the Brand's New Creative Director.." The Independent on Sunday: 32. Mar 18
2012. ProQuest Central. Web. 4 Mar.
2013 .
Manganaro, Joanna. "Salvatore
Ferragamo." BlogStylesight.
StyleSight Inc, 24 Feb. 2013. Web. 04 Mar. 2013.
"Salvatore Ferragamo." The FMD. Fashion Model Directory, n.d.
Web. 04 Mar. 2013.
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