Ferragamo’s A/W 2026 campaign turns shoe obsession surreal

In 1978, Fiamma Ferragamo, carrying forward her father Salvatore’s creative legacy, introduced the ‘Vara’ shoe. Defined by its low heel and signature grosgrain bow, it became one of the house’s most iconic creations, later inspiring the ‘Varina’ ballet flat. Over the years, the Vara’s distinctive codes have been reinterpreted in styles ranging from quilted pumps to sleek stilettos. Today, Ferragamo’s creative director, Maximilian Davis, continues to honour those codes while sharpening them for a new generation.

‘So many things make a Ferragamo shoe an object of desire: the construction; the wearability; the innovation of the design,’ reflects Davis. ‘And since I’ve been at the house, it’s been about refining the details to make them feel more sharp, more graphic; to take those core codes of craft and construction and translate them for today.’

It is this idea of the shoe as an object of desire – and, more particularly, obsession – that provides the starting point for Ferragamo’s A/W 2026 campaign. At its centre is a surrealist throne-like sculpture constructed from shoes by contemporary American artist Willie Cole in 1994, part of the collection of Museum Voorlinden in the Netherlands.

Photographed by Johnny Dufort, Anok Yai takes her throne atop the sculpture, commanding the frame in pieces from the new collection. The image recalls the vedettes of the silver screen, surrounded by an almost fantastical abundance of footwear. Alongside Yai, the campaign features Ferragamo global brand ambassadors Jingyu Huang and Ning Chang, as well as Vittoria Ceretti and Thibaud Charon.

‘Willie takes everyday objects: objects that you feel connected to, that you can relate to, and distorts them,’ says Davis. ‘The chair feels very surreal, but immediate – and, with my recent collections referencing Surrealism and Dadaism, the collaboration felt right.’

Cole’s transformation of the familiar into something strange provides an apt backdrop for Davis’ recent fascination with Surrealism. Here, shoes are multiplied and rearranged until they become sculpture, while the campaign plays with the tension between utility and fantasy that has long characterised Ferragamo’s approach to footwear. The result puts the house’s history of shoemaking into dialogue with the more irreverent visual language of Davis’ Ferragamo.

That fascination with objects extends beyond footwear. For A/W 2026, the new ‘Cara’ bag continues Davis’ exploration of Ferragamo’s leather-working heritage. Crafted from supple calf leather, its accordion construction gives the bag a precise, architectural form, while statement ‘Gancini’ hardware draws on the wrought-iron hitching posts of Palazzo Spini Feroni in Florence, Ferragamo’s historic home.

Across the campaign, those recognisable house codes become material for something less familiar: heritage is distorted, exaggerated and reframed with genuine affection. From a throne built from shoes to the graphic lines of the season’s accessories, Davis makes a case for the enduring joy of a beautifully constructed object – and the human obsessions they can inspire.

Discover the full A/W 2026 campaign at Ferragamo.