Shoes

Salvatore Ferragamo|Salvatore Ferragamo|Saks Fifth Avenue

1938–40 · straw · Costume Institute

Salvatore Ferragamo was the first manufacturer and designer to bring Italian shoes to the forefront of the footwear industry. Using his knowledge of American industrial methods gained during his stay in the U.S. between 1914 and 1927, Ferragamo availed himself of the skilled Italian labor pool to create a high quality, hand-made product for an international market. The designer's work is best known for its innovative use of materials and for the use of brilliant colors. Ferragamo pioneered the development of the wedge heel and platform sole in the 1930s. Ferragamo worked with raffia and straw throughout his career, using it for crocheted and woven uppers as well as embroidery, but particularly in the late 1930s and 1940s when leather in short supply. This simple wedge-heeled tie shoe in bright multicolor raffia is one of his classic designs.

Artist

Salvatore Ferragamo|Salvatore Ferragamo|Saks Fifth Avenue

Date

1938–40

Medium

straw

Culture

Italian

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. Hollis K. Thayer, 1971