“If I could maintain my output only by using the method of mass production, and if the only way I could maintain my standards and my reputation was the manufacture of hand-made shoes, why not a system of making hand-made shoes by mass production?” (The Autobiography of Salvatore Ferragamo- Shoemaker of Dreams).
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| Mr. Ferragamo has always been involved with every aspect of his creations. (Image- Walking Dreams pg. 4). Biography
Salvatore Ferragamo was born on June 5, 1898 in Bonito, a village near Naples. Ferragamo was the eleventh of fourteen children born into a family who had worked on the land for several generations before his arrival. I would personally refer Ferragamo to a young entrepreneur in all aspects. It was at age four whenever Ferragamo began to play with pieces of leather; he would create and deconstruct wooden clogs that under the apprenticeship of Charlie Chaplin, a local village cobbler. Salvatore's father was resistant to his son's fixation of creating shows however, he was forced to quickly resolve his issues. At the tender age of nine, Salvatore finished his studies and went to work as an apprentice to a shoemaker in Naples. He returned home to Bonito at the age of twelve where he opened his first workshop (quite impressive if you ask me). By the age of sixteen, Ferragamo joined his sibling in California where he opened he first boutique in Santa Barbara in 1915. Thus his American career is born and he soon begins to work with the American Film Company creating masterpieces of footwear for stars such as Mary Pickford, Pola Negri and Gloria Swanson just to namedrop. This is where Ferragamo fully comprehended that his career would intertwine with the film industry. Constantly searching for inspiration to his shoes, Ferragamo enrolls himself in anatomy classes at the University of Santa Barbara and Los Angeles where he enriched his fascination with knowledge of the anatomy of the feet. He also studied art history and mathematics to evolve his creations. Salvatore jumped at the chance to become part of Hollywood and set up shop immediately. Obviously, Ferragamo became very popular taking shoe orders from across the United States. By 1927, Salvatore returns to Italy and establishes his company in Florence. Unfortunately, Salvatore's business took a hard hit going bankrupt after the 1929 stock market crash but, was revived with a focus on Italian clientele. By the end of the 1930's, Salvatore's innovations were beginning to come alive when he invents cork soles and introduces "Wedgies" to the world. An important aspect of Ferragamo's life was his family; in 1940 he married Wanda Miletti (daughter of the Mayor of Bonito at the time) with whom he has six children with. His wife Wanda would later become the face of the company after Salvatore's untimely death on August 7, 1960. Salvatore Ferragamo made several contributions to the world of fashion and received the Neiman Marcus Oscar for his "invisible" sandal. Salvatore Ferragamo achieved great success in his time on Earth yet, much of admiration's are noted after his passing. (Biography Passage- Baudot- Universe of Fashion Salvatore Ferragamo)
 Early Influences
It is no lie that Salvatore Ferragamo was influenced by the glamour of Hollywood. Some of his favorite clientele includes: Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Rita Hayworth, Greta Garbo and Sophia Loren. Even though most of his studies in shoe making took place over seas in Italy, it was Hollywood's inspiration that took Ferragamo's shoes to a new level of amazing.
     LEGENDARY DESIGNS 
(Walking Dreams pg. 65)
(Walking Dreams pg. 66)
(Walking Dreams pg. 70)
(Walking Dreams pg. 77)
(Walking Dreams pg. 76)
(Walking Dreams pg. 61)
(Evolving Legend- Skira)
Critical Analysis
One of the key factors to any designer's work is the Zeitgeist (also referred to as the spirit of the times). Even though Salvatore Ferragamo himself produced quality shoe wear for 99 percent of his career does not mean that his designs were not influenced by the times. For example, "The hard times of the war years and post-war period and a certain leaning toward simple materials led him to use nylon and cellophane wrap to create shows that had never before been imagined in the world of design. This made him at once a revolutionary and a classic designer, who gained absolute fame in the world of international fashion" (Walking Dreams pg. 11). At this time cellophane was a different form of material that was not traditionally used to make shoes with which made Ferragamo a genius of innovation.
Example of Cellophane (Evolving Legend- Skira)
Salvatore Ferragamo is often called "THE SHOEMAKER OF CELEBRITIES". This much we already know from his impressive list of customers. However, whenever Ferragamo set up shop in Hollywood in the early 1920's the film business was just beginning to become popular. Therefore when you mix Hollywood glam, the revolution of the Flappers, and the popular Charleston dance together the result is a high demand for comfortable shoes for women in general not just celebrities. Since the main objective of Ferragamo's career revolved around not only the beauty but, the care of the feet in all aspects, he was on a continuous journey to create the perfect shoe for a modern day women.
The Charleston Dance- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJC21zzkwoE
It was also in 1955 after Industrialization begun when Ferragamo finally introduced some machine-made operations in his workshops while producing Ferrina and Ferragamo Debs shoes. Before this time Ferragamo had not introduced mechanization in his workshops because he believed that the luxury of shoe making was to be done by hand that way not one detail could slide. This of course was part of his hands-on approach to his designs which also made him a great business man. The significance of this story is to show everyone the Ferragamo was influenced by the spirit of the times after Industrialization had become a promininent feature in growing society.
In 1949, Salvatore had the opportunity to collaborate with Christian Dior and Elsa Schiaparelli. Both of these designers had a major impact on Ferragamo's designs. Christian Dior's new look which was introduced in 1947 virtually influence the world of how a modern woman should dress. The look was made up of long skirted silhouettes with a tiny waist lines and heavy fabric. Salvatore took it upon himself to create shoes that woman could wear with this new emerging look of Dior. Such inspiration led Ferragamo to create the glove arch and the cage heel. While Elsa Schiaparelli introduced the world to loud colors such as "shocking pink" and designs that are more artistic, this allowed Ferragamo's shoes to express individualality and uniqueness unlike before because the world was getting use to the new wave of trends. Schiaparelli and Dior were not the only influences of Ferragamo's. It is often reported that Ferragamo's 18-karat gold sandal in 1956 was influenced by Pucci's designs who was also designing in Italy.
All of the proof is there, Salvatore Ferragamo is an ICON!
Salvatore Ferragamo is an icon because of his successful career and influence he had over the world. Ferragamo's attention to beautifully tailored shoes, his passion, his skill and his legacy will live on in the world for a very long time. The designer had ideas, talent, and inventiveness that set him apart gaining recognition where recognition is well deserved. By 1950, the house of Ferragamo employed 750 people while producing an average of 350 pairs of shoes (hand-made) every day. Because of his ability to give the customers what they wanted was the foundation to his success giving him one of the most versatile groups of clients of the 20th Century. This is why Salvatore Ferragamo is a legend in his own right.
(Critical Analysis- Baudot- Universe of Fashion Salvatore Ferragamo and Walking Dreams).
Analysis of Future Trends
Ferragamo's innovations are simply what sets him apart. Salvatore Ferragamo was known for using unique textiles such as fish skins. He researched fish skins intensely and used them to juxtapose the savage extravagant material into something that was very feminine yet, masculine. I think they now refer to that as Androgyny which is a major trend of 2012 from Stylesight and WGSN. Fish skin was just the beginning to what future designers would do past his time, some innovative ideas that are found on shoes include crocodile and snake skin. All of you designers can of course tip your hat to Mr. Ferragamo.
Example of Fish Skins (Evolving Legend- Salvatore Ferragamo).
You walk into any major department store today and I can guarantee you will find a similar pair of shoes just like Ferragamo's.
Sam Edelman "Tacoma" Pump- Nordstrom (http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/womens-shoes-view-all?origin=topnav).
Nature continues to be a reoccurring trend in every designer's collections and will continue well into the future.
  Today's nature influence in fashion...  Suno Fall/Winter 2012 NY- http://www.stylesight.com/search/search.php#%7B%22start%22%3A%200%2C%20%22limit%22%3A%2050%2C%20%22f_limit%22%3A%205%2C%20%22q%22%3A%20%22Nature%22%2C%20%22facets%5B%5D%22%3A%20%5B%5D%2C%20%22block_markets%5B%5D%22%3A%20%5B%5D%7D It is my personal opinion that Salvatore Ferragamo is Jeffrey Campbell's designer designer. For you can greatly see a hint of inspiration of Ferragamo in his work. For example this fabulous platform shoe is very reminiscent of Ferragamo's.  Jeffrey Campbell http://www.jeffreycampbellshoes.com/
Let's not forget that every single sandal today has been influence by Salvatore Ferragamo's designs.
Jeffrey Campbell- Gladitor Sandal- fashionhippo.com
One of the lasting silhouettes that is constantly recreated day in and day out is Ferragamo's heel which consists of metal framework formed by lots of threadlike elements which was patented on January 7, 1956 by Ferragamo. 
(Walking Dreams pg. 37)
The Evolution of the Brand---1930 to 2003
(Evolving Legend)
SO LET'S GIVE IT UP TO MR. SALVATORE FERRAGAMO
The True Master of Shoe Design
(Evolving Legend)
Works Cited
n.d. February 2012 <fashionhippo.com>.
Baudot, Francois. Universe of Fashion- Salvatore Ferragamo. New York City, New York, 1999.
Jeffrey Campbell. February 2012. 2012 <http://www.jeffreycampbellshoes.com/>.
Nordstrom. n.d. 2012 <http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/womens-shoes-view-all?origin=topnav>.
SKIRA. Evolving Legend- Salvatore Ferragamo 1928-2008. Italy: Skira Editore S.P.A, 2008.
Stylesight.com. February 2012. 2012 <http://www.stylesight.com/search/search.php#%7B%22start%22%3A%200%2C%20%22limit%22%3A%2050%2C%20%22f_limit%22%3A%205%2C%20%22q%22%3A%20%22Nature%22%2C%20%22facets%5B%5D%22%3A%20%5B%5D%2C%20%22block_markets%5B%5D%22%3A%20%5B%5D%7D>.
Walking Dreams- Salvatore Ferragamo 1898-1960. Spain: Museo Del Palacio De Bellas Artes- Editorial RM, 2006.
YouTube. 2007. 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJC21zzkwoE.
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