To introduce the Pre-Fall 2024 Ferragamo presents a new campaign photographed by Harley Weir: an articulation of the vocabulary Maximilian Davis has built for the house, seen through the distinctly desirable lens of summer.
“We wanted to play with the idea of fantasy and reality,” explains Davis.
“And Harley is someone who can express something that is both very real and very magical.”
Against a backdrop of Italian sculptures rendered as sandcastles, a summer wardrobe reveals itself: pieces which can seamlessly adapt between long days and even longer evenings spent on the beach. “I wanted it to have an ease, but also an energy, which women can relate to,” he continues.
While the collection remains rooted in the contemporary language of Ferragamo, the history of the house appears interwoven throughout. Raffia, a staple of Ferragamo’s early designs, is translated into leather-lined woven shoppers and cut-out totes, as well as applied to the uppers of mules. “In terms of technique, combining high and low is what Ferragamo is about,” explains Davis – and, embroidered with Lucio Venna’s original artwork for the house from the late 1920s, the everyday appears elevated by the incorporation of the brand’s history. “Ferragamo and Venna collaborated to create artwork that wasn’t to do with product: it was just about making really good imagery – and that collaboration made me particularly interested in that period, when Italians were using art as a rebellious form of expression,” explains Davis.
The iconic Ferragamo ballerina is also given new life through the adjustment of its proportions: its elongated last and toe suggesting a slightly subversive elegance, its enlarged hardware offering a minimalist yet playful touch. The Ferragamo Hug bag - the quintessence of Ferragamo’s enduring legacy of craftsmanship and creativity - remains omnipresent, but now exists with an artfully woven handle; louche pyjama tailoring and tropical kaftan dresses are imbued with insouciance, while the exacting nature of their fabrication and construction, alongside details like organic gold hardware, invites them into the Ferragamo universe. “It’s about looking at the wardrobe,” concludes Davis. “About it feeling identifiable, and exploring the elements and signifiers we’ve developed throughout my time here, in a fresh, new way.” This is summer, as seen by Ferragamo.