Ferragamo, Salvatore

(1898-1960)

   Ferragamo lived near Naples, Italy, and was born into a family where shoes were a luxury reserved for special occasions. He created his first shoe as a child and later migrated to the United States in 1923 to learn machinery production methods. His handcraft approach did not translate into mechanical production and he moved to California where he designed custom-made shoes for celebrities in his own boot shop in Los Angeles. He later returned to Florence, Italy, in 1927 to secure the craftsmen and materials of the superior level he required. He married and continued his business in his home country. In 1936, Ferragamo invented the wedge heel. Made of cork or raffia or hollowed out, this heel remained in fashion for a decade. It still enjoys significant resurgent cycles and became prominent again in 2005. After his death, his family continued his footwear business and expanded the company to include smaller leather goods, apparel, perfume, scarves, and luggage. In 1996, the Ferragamo Company took over the Emanuel Ungaro fashion house.