For almost a century, the Florentine house of Salvatore Ferragamo has provided an array of luxurious and ever-evolving footwear for its international devotees – from the dramatic (a 1938 golden sandal with vertiginous rainbow wedge heel for Hollywood royalty Judy Garland) to the quotidien (their leather loafer, with signature Gancini buckle, which remains one the house’s most enduring styles).
The latest arrivals, revealed this week, hope to take a similar place in the Ferragamo canon: an elegant new series of sneakers, which meld the house’s extraordinary dedication to craft with the comfort and ease of traditional running shoes. Designed to be worn across genders, they riff on vintage designs from the 1960s and 1970s, albeit reimagined in contemporary style, utilising high-tech fabrications and a bold and vivid use of colour (in another nod to the past, one rainbow-hued sole references the aforementioned house classic worn by Garland). Another is decorated with the 1950s-designed Gancini emblem, a motif drawn from the looping wrought-iron hooks originally made to tether horses on the historic Palazzo Ferragamo in Florence, where the house is based.
But the varied models offer more than simply aesthetically pleasing design; instead, they also arrive with serious sustainable credentials – or, in the house’s words, a ‘responsible essence’. Crafted using ‘a mix of high-tech and responsible materials’, each pair is crafted from an Econyl upper (Ecoynl is 100 percent regenerated from fishing nets and nylon waste), suede inserts from manufacturing scraps, and leather which utilises a chrome-free tanning process. Elsewhere, threads are constructed from 100 percent post-consumer recycled polyester, while felt details are also made from recycled polyester fibres.
A feeling of lightness and comfort – defining principles of the entirety of Ferragamo’s near-century-long output – completes the various sneakers, each style finished with a customised tread, from heel to toe.
INFORMATION
-
Five of the finest compact cameras available todayPocketable cameras are having a moment. We’ve assembled a set of cutting-edge compacts that’ll free you from the ubiquity of smartphone photography and help focus your image making
-
London label Wed Studio is embracing ‘oddness’ when it comes to bridal dressingThe in-the-know choice for fashion-discerning brides, Wed Studio’s latest collection explores the idea that garments can hold emotions – a reflection of designers Amy Trinh and Evan Phillips’ increasingly experimental approach
-
Arts institution Pivô breathes new life into neglected Lina Bo Bardi building in BahiaNon-profit cultural institution Pivô is reactivating a Lina Bo Bardi landmark in Salvador da Bahia in a bid to foster artistic dialogue and community engagement
-
‘Shoemaker to the stars’ Salvatore Ferragamo’s colourful life and work celebrated in new exhibition‘Salvatore Ferragamo 1898-1960’ at the house’s Florence museum explores the Italian shoe designer’s wide-ranging career, which began in the golden age of Hollywood
-
Manolo Blahnik creates virtual world to mark 50th anniversaryWelcome to The Manolo Blahnik Archives: ‘A New Way of Walking’, a digital cosmos that marks the brand’s milestone anniversary, spanning five immersive rooms, curated alongside Judith Clark
-
Salvatore Ferragamo A/W 2018Paul Andrew debuts a ready-to-wear offering rich in colour and fitting for rebellious aristocrats
-
Salvatore Ferragamo S/S 2018 -
Salvatore Ferragamo A/W 2017 -
Body and sole: Roksanda and Malone Souliers step in line -
Salvatore Ferragamo A/W 2017 -
Sole searching: John Lobb offered tor stories for S/S 2017 with a trek across Britain’s wild west
