Ferragamo shoes are a family business

The last is what makes a shoe fit. The leather is what makes a shoe last.

Visiting the Waikiki boutique are Ferruccio Ferragamo, left, CEO of Ferragamo Worldwide, and Massimo Ferragamo, president of Ferragamo USA. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Few people know more about what makes a shoe fit and last than Massimo Ferragamo, son of Italian luxury leather goods icon Salvatore Ferragamo, who began making shoes in the early 1900s.

Massimo Ferragamo, who lives in New York and oversees the company’s operations in the United States, visited the family’s stores on O‘ahu and Maui last week. Ferragamo remains a family-run company, unlike so many of the European fashion companies that have merged with conglomerates.

"We never want to change being a family business," said Ferragamo. "There is a risk of losing the personality of the company, and a company should always have a distinct personality."

With headquarters in Florence, the Ferragamo company has remained close to its roots in both philosophy and geography. The men of the family (there are three brothers, of whom Massimo is the youngest) oversee the operations. The women (two sisters) provide the creative spark. And their mother, Wanda, continues playing an active role. "She is the best retailer in our whole company. She can detect anything that’s not exactly right," Ferragamo said.

History of innovation

Salvatore Ferragamo is credited with inventing the stiletto heel (should we thank him or not?), the cork platform and the invisible sandal.

The second generation is equally dedicated to finding a balance between creativity and comfort. "We seek to interpret the times. What is modern, what is stylish? Ferragamo is neither extreme fashion nor a conservative look. We don’t want to go too far in one direction or another."

Ferragamo said the designs his father created decades ago "will last forever as a look. We may change to a more pointed toe or make a pump into a slingback," but the silhouettes remain.

Although Ferragamo shoes are the highest of the high end, with a few designs selling for more than $1,000, many women have turned to them not just for fashion but because the shoes are known for working with difficult-to-fit or troubled feet.

Pat Loui, president of Omnitrak Research & Marketing Group here, loves her Ferragamos. "I originally started wearing them because I had knee problems from years of water skiing on the ocean. Now I wear them because comfortable shoes are essential. I do a lot of walking in my business and I can walk anywhere in my Ferragamos, whether I’m wearing a low heel or a higher one. They fit my foot like a glove. They're fun and they're fashionable."

A common customer comment: "They last forever and hold up to even the hardest wear"; they’re investment shoes, costing a great deal to begin with but lasting much longer than less expensive lines.

While some manufacturers might hate to hear this because it means they won’t sell as many shoes, the Ferragamo family takes pride in their reputation.

"It gives us immense pleasure to hear our customers say that our shoes last forever," Massimo Ferragamo said.

Why leather lasts

Why is Italy nearly synonymous with fine leather goods? "It’s a series of events that come together. The craftsmanship goes back not just centuries, but millennia. That combines with the low cost of labor due to the low cost of living in Italy," Ferragamo said.

It’s also the cows.

Think about it. Cows live outside all the time, in all kinds of weather. So if their hides are treated properly, why shouldn’t the products made with them last for years as well?

At the Ferragamo headquarters in Florence, there is an entire division devoted to preparing the leather to be made into shoes, bags, belts and clothing. The hides arrive in the shape of, well, cowhides. They are pulled by hand (by men with gigantic biceps, who stretch until their knuckles are white) to achieve the appropriate amount of softness.

"You can only get this by a sense of touch," Ferragamo said. "A machine can’t achieve the perfect tension. A machine also can’t spot imperfections."

He added that the tanners often get upset with the family because they reject so many hides.

Last but not least

The leather is then pulled over the last. The last is a form or model that closely resembles a foot.

Lasts are based on actual feet, the feet of models whose foot shape and size have been judged as perfectly true to a given size.

This is the largest division of the company because so much trial and error is necessary.

"There are often fights between the creative and technical departments," Ferragamo said. "We have to find a happy medium" between style and comfort.

Creating the last requires an extensive scientific study of the foot. A team of technicians may do trials for a month to see what a difference of 1/16 inch will do to the fit of a certain style. Then it’s tested for every heel height and each size.

Once the leather is prepared and the last is perfected, the leather is stretched over the last by a carefully calibrated machine.

When you find a shoe that fits perfectly, it’s important to learn the name or number of the last. Write it down somewhere before it gets worn off. Then, when you return to the shoe store, you can find the same last, though perhaps in a different style or heel height.

Head to toe

For the first time in its history, Ferragamo has hired someone outside the family to help guide the company’s design direction. Nicole Fischelis, the former fashion director of Saks Fifth Avenue, hopes to bring "attitude" to Ferragamo fashions. She hired French designer Marc Audibet, who previously worked for Cerruti and Prada, to create dynamic ready to wear.

The new look was evident at a recent informal fashion show in the Waikiki boutique: bright, Pucci-like prints on stretch jeans, a hip-length white toga-like blouse with a halter top, a "Me, Jane" faux fur dress, a sexy suede vest with clever cutouts that narrowly avoided peek-a-boo-breasts, a man’s leather jacket with a perforated back that makes it work even in our tropical climate.

And the shoes were a far cry from Tutu’s favorite pump. There were Swarovski crystal mules, beaded silk slingbacks, laser-cut pony skin, and lots of logo chic.

Ferragamo shoes are available in Hawai‘i at Ferragamo boutiques, Nordstrom, DFS Galleria and Neiman Marcus. Prices range from $170 to $1,250.

The ready-to-wear is sold at the Ferragamo boutiques in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center in Waikiki and in Whaler’s Village in Lahaina. In addition, a limited selection is available at DFS Galleria.

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