<p>Aptly titled, <em>Salvatore Ferragamo: 1898-1960</em>, the new exhibition <span>recounts the illustrious artisan&rsquo;s story in celebration since Ferragamo opened his first store in Hollywood 100 years ago.</span></p>

<p style="text-align: left;">Exactly one hundred years have passed since <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/ferragamo-fall-winter-2023-campaign-new-renaissance-uffizi-gallery-tyler-mitchell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Salvatore Ferragamo</a> inaugurated his first store in <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/famous-celebrity-children-young-hollywood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hollywood</a>, confirming the success achieved in the United States, where he had immigrated in 1915. His shoes became very famous at the time thanks to the commissions for famous films such as <em>The Ten Commandments</em>&nbsp;by Cecil B. DeMille and for the film stars who went crazy for his silhouettes, from Greta Grabo to Gloria Swanson.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Exploring the life of Salvatore Ferragamo, the exhibition <em>Salvatore Ferragamo: 1898 - 1960</em>&nbsp;at the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/women-in-balance-exhibition-ferragamo-museum-florence-wanda-miletti" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ferragamo Museum in Florence</a> (open from October 27, 2023, to November 4, 2024) highlights the contribution of the "shoemaker to the stars" to the rebirth of Italian craftsmanship and the importance of local design, based on the mix of tradition and innovation.</p>

Salvatore Ferragamo presents some shoe models to Audrey Hepburn on the occasion of the actress's visit to Palazzo Spini Feroni, 1954. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Sophia Loren and Salvatore Ferragamo during the evening at the Open Gate Club in Rome to celebrate the new patent for sea leopard skin. Ferragamo tries on the actress a needle lace shoe from Tavarnelle, 28 February 1955. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Lauren Bacall wears Ferragamo shoes shortly after her marriage to Humphrey Bogart, 1946. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Anna Magnani and Salvatore Ferragamo at Palazzo Spini Feroni during the fitting of the Ranina sandal, 1955. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Greta Garbo walks wearing her favorite Ferragamo shoes through London with photographer Cecil Beaton, wearing her favorite Ferragamo shoes, November 17, 1951. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

<p style="text-align: center;">Hollywood divas and celebrities</p>

<p style="text-align: left;">Ferragamo's relationship with his customers, who categorized them into "Cinderellas," "Venuses" and "Aristocrats" - based on their preference for footwear and their lifestyle - is told in the section "Famous Shoes and Feet " of the exhibition.&nbsp;Stars such as Pola Negri, Mary Pickford, Joan Crawford, and Rudolph Valentino, but also dancers, directors, and producers passed through the Hollywood Boot Shop.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">There were Gloria Swanson and Claudette Colbert who preferred classic shoes, to Marlene Dietrich who opted for fashionable models. Or the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, who loved two-tone shoes for summer and solid colors for winter, while Ingrid Bergman favored low heels and Evita Per&oacute;n's exotic Argentine leathers. Ferragamo's creativity adapted to various personalities, from <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/marilyn-monroe-media-legacy-nude-playboy-photos-body" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marilyn Monroe</a> with her beloved stiletto heels to Greta Garbo who loved shoes with a masculine allure.</p>

Rainbow sandal made for actress Judy Garland, 1938. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Closed-toe sandal with damask lamé silk fabric upper, vinylite sole and mica heel, 1955. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Madonna, Tavarnelle needle lace and kid sandal with beaded appliqués, made for Sophia Loren, 1955. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Iride, Tavarnelle needle lace and kid décolleté, 1930-1936. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Damigella, ankle boot model in stretch brocade fabric and high heel. The model was created for Sophia Loren, 1957. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Lace-up shoe with cotton thread patchwork upper, 1935-1938. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Closed-stitch sandal with upper in Tavarnelle needle lace and kid with sequin application, heel decorated with rhinestones, 1950-1952. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Décolleté with calfskin upper with suede applications, 1939. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Model of sandal with soutache and cellophane upper, 1957-1958. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Décolleté model with calfskin upper and silk thread embroidery, 1930-1935. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Rainbow, décolleté model in suede and silk thread embroidery, 1935. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Lace-up shoe with one-piece suede upper with slightly rising toe, made for Lauren Bacall, 1946. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Sandal model with upper made of kid leather straps, 1930. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

<p style="text-align: center;">Who was Salvatore Ferragamo?</p>

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                        <p style="text-align: left;">Salvatore Ferragamo was born on June 5, 1898 in Bonito, Irpinia. Despite his father's disagreement, he becomes passionate about the shoemaking profession. The family is too poor to afford to buy Salvatore's sister's shoes for their first communion. At 9 years old he made his first pairs of shoes. <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">The premature death of his father left the family destitute and in 1912 Salvatore went to Naples where he learned the art of shoemaking. A short time later he returned to Bonito where he opened a shoemaking business. In 1915, he decided to emigrate to America, where he worked in a machine-made shoe factory but was dissatisfied with the quality. He moved to California, where he opened a custom shoe repair and shoe shop.</span></p>
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Postcard of the Ferragamo & C. shoe factory in via Mannelli 57 in Florence. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Lucio Venna, Advertising poster created for Salvatore Ferragamo, 1928 Florence, Ferragamo Museum. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Lucio Venna, Advertising sketch for Salvatore Ferragamo, 1930 Florence, Ferragamo Museum. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

<p style="text-align: left;">Ferragamo's entry into the world of cinema happened by chance, as one of the brothers ironed the stage clothes of the nascent Hollywood industry. After the first successes - boots for Western films, footwear of all kinds for the blockbusters of the time -&nbsp;Ferragamo's fame grew beyond belief. He understood <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">the importance of arch support for fit after taking anatomy courses at the University of California.</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">In 1923, Ferragamo moved his business to Hollywood, where he purchased the license of the Hollywood Boot Shop, located across the street from Grauman's Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">During this period he collaborated with famous directors such as Cecil B. DeMille, David Wark Griffith, and Raoul Walsh, creating footwear for their films.</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">After two years, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/every-look-salvatore-ferragamo-spring-summer-2022-mfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ferragamo</a> opened a new store at 6683 Hollywood Boulevard, becoming a point of reference for celebrities and film stars alike. His fame grew to such an extent that the shop itself appeared in some films of the time, such as <em>Show People</em> by King Vidor in 1928. Having become an American citizen, in 1927 he returned to Italy, to Florence, where he opened a factory by uniting the local craftsmanship with the American production system. His</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">goal? Expand the production of Italian artisan footwear and distribute it in the United States through the Hollywood store.</span></p>

The actress Joan Crawford with Salvatore Ferragamo in the Hollywood Boot Shop, 1920s. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Model of sandal with kid upper and pyramid brass heel, 1930. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Lace-up shoe with kid upper and heel decorated by hand with a floral motif with the Ferra-gamo Inc. label. Florence (Italy) – Hollywood (California), 1927. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

Salvatore Ferragamo with actress Kathleen Key on the Argonaut, the Southern Pacific train that connected Los Angeles to New Orleans. (Photo: Courtesy of Ferragamo)

<p style="text-align: justify;">The 1929 crisis also had an impact on <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Ferragamo's shoe factory. He declared</span> bankruptcy in 1933 and reopened a workshop and shop in the name of his sisters. He moved the business to Palazzo Altoviti Sangalletti, which in 1942 became the headquarters of Ferragamo. <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">From the end of the 1930s, Ferragamo opened shops in Rome, Milan, the United States, Berlin, and London. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">In 1951, Ferragamo participated in the first Italian fashion show organized by Giovanni Battista Giorgini at Villa Torrigiani in Florence. He died on August 7, 1960, in Italy, leaving the company to his late wife <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/wanda-miletti-ferragamo-ferragamo-family-matriarch-dies-at-96" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wanda Miletti Ferragamo</a>.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">In every section of the exhibit, guests and fashion enthusiasts alike will have the chance to take a peek into Ferragamo's long history and appreciate his unparalleled creativity, craftsmanship, and commitment to excellence that continues to inspire the fashion world today.</span></p>

Photos courtesy of Ferragamo.

Celebrate the Life and Creations of Salvatore Ferragamo in New Exhibition 

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Celebrate the Life and Creations of Salvatore Ferragamo in New Exhibition

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