Dialogue between art and fashion - the Renaissance of Ferragamo

Very profound creative paths and exchanges intertwine between art and fashion. Two worlds constantly evolution and contamination that have always been an integral part of our daily life.

As if it were a sentimental bond, the relationship between fashion and art occasionally faces moments of crisis that are then destined to be resolved. This relationship explored in multiple directions already at the beginning of the twentieth century through the artists of Art Nouveau and the Historical Avant-gardes who applied their aesthetic conceptions to the project of women’s clothing intended as artistic dress. Marinetti’s 1909 “Manifesto of Futurism” explains how clothing, the result of fashion deeply connected to society, is a perfect propaganda tool capable of disseminating an ideology. This is the reason, for futurists, fashion is synonymous with modernism and revolution.

Between the twenties and thirties in Paris, thanks to Elsa Schiaparelli, a surrealist poet who used to use clothes as real canvases, fashion came into close contact with artists. So, from the meeting with Salvador Dalì, their non-conformist spirits began to create visionary garments, first of all the “lobster” dress of 1937, which became synonymous with eroticism and a symbol of the fight against modest tradition, worn for the first once in a photo shoot by Wallis Simpson, future wife of Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor.

There are many examples over the years that demonstrate the cooperation between art and costume and how can we not mention the 1951 photo shoot by photographer Cecil Beaton for Vogue in which haute couture garments by Herni Bendel appear in the foreground framed by paintings by Jackson Pollock. At the time this caused quite a stir and triggered several criticisms, but what remains today is a clear demonstration of the fact that clothing has the same value and artistic charge as a painting, therefore teaching us to conceive fashion as a form of art.

Often only the way in which the world of fashion has welcomed and acquired timeless artists and masterpieces is highlighted without mentioning and enhancing mutual participation and influence, as demonstrated particularly in recent years, where collaborations between fashion houses and contemporary art are increasingly frequent, sought after and desired.

Ferragamo is the latest brand that made us dream with its “New Renaissance” advertising campaign in which it presents paintings, courtesy of the Ministry of Culture – The Uffizi Galleries, of the Italian but above all Florentine tradition.

“A new vision that brings together Ferragamo and Florence and its extraordinary tradition of art and innovation“, explains a note released by the Maison.

Ferragamo, through this campaign, reveals the sophisticated and sensual elegance of the autumn/winter 2023 collection, associating it with some of the most famous works of art from the 15th and 16th centuries as a natural setting. The desire is to pay homage both to the creativity of the brand and to the precious legacy of Renaissance art with the attempt to reconnect with the tradition of beauty and innovation of its city and its history.

Maximilian Davis, art director of the brand, presents his second collection for Ferragamo in the presence of historical masterpieces reinterpreted in a contemporary key, imagining the models as protagonists and thus recreating a dialogue between past and present, past eras and future generations. Maximilian perfectly contextualizes the refined tailoring, fine fabrics and materials, bold colors, the Hug bag and the gold sandal inspired by archive pieces, in the scenes of the paintings of Bellini, Veronese and Botticelli, combining the Renaissance spirit and the vision of luxury of the twenty-first century shaping a harmonious aesthetic.

Works such as Paolo Veronese’s “Annunciation“, Giovanni Bellini’s “Sacred Allegory” or “The Annunciation of San Martino alla Scala” not only serve as a frame but also have the aim of instilling a profound cultural meaning. Likewise, the Uffizi Gallery is transformed into an interactive canvas where the creativity and design of the Maison Ferragamo intertwine with Renaissance art, simultaneously telling a story of artistic evolution and cultural continuity and, as stated by the art director Davis, “The Renaissance is in Florence’s DNA, and Florence is in Ferragamo’s DNA.”

For the success of the campaign, Davis invited models, musicians and creatives to appear in the images, collaborating with an artistic community just as the founder Salvatore Ferragamo did when he moved to the United States. Master Ferragamo, indeed, served his creations to the Hollywood community, achieving success by mixing his talent with the Italian creative cultural heritage, quickly establishing himself as “the shoemaker of dreams“.

Furthermore, the work of New York photographer Tyler Mitchell is amazing and he was able to give the works of art new vitality and light, giving them a modern and contemporary look. A true Rebirth!

The link between Florence and Ferragamo is clear and strong in “New Renaissance”. A powerful declaration by the brand of wanting to continue, in a parallel way, between tradition and innovation. The theme of the “New Renaissance” goes beyond fashion: it embodies the Maison’s deep connection with its hometown and the historical intertwining that has shaped its identity.

The campaign therefore aims to represent a new chapter in the brand’s storytelling, a further moment of evolution fueled by the past, as an eternal source of inspiration, direction and conscience to go further.

For this reason, we can say that fashion and art do the same job, often influencing each other, sometimes one is a precursor of new things for the other. On many occasions the two disciplines will meet on common ground, giving life to timeless masterpieces, just like the “New Renaissance by Ferragamo” campaign.

Art observes the world of fashion as an amplifier of its own messages. Over the years, this continuous bilateral relationship has experienced important moments, succeeding in an arduous undertaking: not only recording advantageous results in a period of strong economic crisis, but above all demonstrating how taste and aesthetic sense are, still today, essential for everyone!

Posted By

Silvia Borghi

Laureata in Relazioni Pubbliche e Masterizzata in Fashion communication presso l'Università Iulm di Milano. Bags victim fin dai tempi dell’asilo, mi definisco un’amante del bello, dell’arte, del fashion, degli anni ’80 e inaspettatamente della scrittura. Credo nelle cinture pazze e nel tutto fa bagaglio.