On June 3rd we visited the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum in Florence, Italy. What I found the most interesting was his varied use of materials and the stories behind their first use. For example, Salvatore was the inventor of the shank. A strip of steel in the sole of the shoe which helps support the weight of the wearer’s body. He even obtained a patent for this invention. Then, in 1938, he designed the first wedge shoe for Judy Garland using cork for the support. At the time there was war in Germany and Ferragamo could not get the steel he needed to make the shank; thus, he used cork.
He was also the first to use metal rod in order to make a very famous, cage like heel. Another of his very famous shoes is the invisible sandal for which he uses fishing wire to make most of the sandal look invisible. He also designed a very famous gold sandal in 1956, inspired by the Sano di Piatro Madonna col Bambino. He worked with Ponte Vecchio goldsmiths. The shoe was 18 carat gold and used a patented metal sole. Another great story is the one about how he decided to use cellophane. He was opening a cake one day when observed the wrapping and decided that it would be a good material for shoes. That’s not the strangest material he’s used though. He was also the first to use fish skin. Other animal hides that he has used include, lamb wool, crocodile, and of course, suede and leather.
Other materials he has used for structure and/or decoration include, but are not limited to, cord, weaving, hemp, lace, crochet, beads, silk, brass, rhinestones, satin, cotton, kid, pilor, wood, raffia, vinyl and feathers.
Some sketches of the shoes
By Anne Charbonneau, Amanda Cox and Laura Van Staveren
Keywords: Innovation, Style
Great blog anne :) Best part are our Italian themed toes!
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