The Magic of Ferragamo
When it comes to fairy tales, the magic always seems to be in the footwear, whether it’s Cinderella’s lost slipper, Hans Christian Andersen’s devilish red shoes, or the titular Puss in Boots. Salvatore Ferragamo, the Florentine luxury goods brand who has shod the likes of Sophia Loren, Greta Garbo, and Audrey Hepburn over nearly a century of business, has an astute understanding of the enchanting effects of a well-crafted pair of heels.
The brand celebrates the legacy of the house’s namesake with “The Amazing Shoemaker-Fairy Tales and Legends about Shoes and Shoemakers,” opening today at the Museo Ferragamo in Florence. The exhibition, based on the life story of founder Salvatore Ferragamo, memorializes the fairy tale-like trajectory of Ferragamo, tracking his journey from southern Italy to his position as cobbler to the stars in 1920s Hollywood, to the founding of his own shoe shop and subsequent international success.
Curated by Stefania Ricci, Sergio Risaliti, and Luca Scarlini, “The Amazing Shoemaker” eschews the typical brand retrospective, and instead is a fantastical exploration of Ferragamo’s personal journey and the role shoes occupy in fairy tales, myths, and legends, communicated through short films, antique treasures, comic books, stories, and installations produced by various artists and commissioned by the museum.
THE AMAZING SHOEMAKER-FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS ABOUT SHOES AND SHOEMAKERS IS OPEN TODAY, APRIL 19TH UNTIL MARCH 31, 2014 AT THE MUSEO FERRAGAMO IN FLORENCE.
