Hollywood’s Original Shoemaker Wants its Flowers

Double Tap to ZoomStyleHollywood’s Original Shoemaker Wants its FlowersThere was a time in Hollywood, over a century ago, when the name on everybody’s lips was… Ferragamo. Real film heads will know the story, but before Ferragamo became the Italian luxury label it is today, it was just a precocious teen immigrant named Salvatore Ferragamo. He first made shoes for silent-era films in Santa Barbara before heading to LA, where he designed for Cecil B. DeMille epics and other films, earning him the nickname “shoemaker to the stars.” Even after moving back to Italy, he kept crafting ergonomic, custom-made heels for the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. With that kind of lore, it fits that the brand is leaning into fashion’s current flirtation with the film industry. Ferragamo just screened Criterion’s 4K restoration of Some Like It Hot at the Egyptian Theatre, which is conveniently located just across the street from the site of Salvatore’s Hollywood Boot Shop, opened in 1923. The geographic ties were top of mind at the screening, with three pairs of Monroe’s own Ferragamo shoes on view in the foyer. The rich heritage is central to the strategy of Ferragamo’s current creative director, Maximilian Davis: he’s spent his four-plus years at the helm returning the house to its silver screen roots. He commissioned magical realist director Alice Rohrwacher to make a three-part short film for the brand’s Pre-Fall 2025 collection, then followed it this year with a seven-chapter film by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović for Spring/Summer 2026. The house’s latest move? Lending its marketing muscle to Un passo alla volta, a short co-written by and starring Martina Ferragamo, Salvatore’s granddaughter, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival this year. Fashion is in its “try-everything” era to offset tepid clothing sales, and that’s grown to include cultural outreach through more serious forays into cinema than just signing another movie star as a brand ambassador. The lateral move makes sense; everyone from Coco Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent to Giorgio Armani and Jean Paul Gaultier dipped their threads into film back in the day. Your Highsnobiety privacy settings have blocked this Instagram post.The more modern move is to go strategic, digging in roots over one-offs: Saint Laurent launched a production arm; Prada launched a fund for indie filmmakers; Dior has a glitzy A24 partnership (not to mention Dior’s creative director, Jonathan Anderson, actively costuming multiple Luca Guadagnino films). With fashion’s foremost fanboy of cinema, Anthony Vaccarello, freshly out at Saint Laurent, there’s room for a new king to take the crown. Davis makes a strong case for it. Someone like Anderson might have the right connections, but Ferragamo has something nobody else can match: the origin story. Everyone loves a comeback, and few narratives feel as compelling as the original Hollywood brand reclaiming its turf in Tinseltown. Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase. Want to shop the products our editors actually love? Visit our SHOPPER page and subscribe to the newsletter for recs on all things fashion, footwear, and beauty.We RecommendLook Like A Man in Finance. Trust Fund. 6’5”. Blue Eyes.Beyond Ralph Lauren: Redeeming the Polo's PotentialReady, Set, Schlep: The Best SS24 Bags Are Ludicrously CapaciousSexed-up Office-Wear Is the Vibe For SS24Ferragamo SS24 Is Here & It Looks So Damn GoodWhat To Read NextHollywood’s Original Shoemaker Wants its FlowersJordan's Color-Shifting 'Space Jam' Shoes Are Genuinely MagicalNike’s Wavy Sneaker Is a Knight in Swaggy ArmorWinter's Worst Won't Get the Better of These PantsBack When Your Outfit Mattered as Much as Your Record CollectionIs the Next Hot Literary Press… Uniqlo?