Salvatore Ferragamo: A World of Perfume Born from a Shoemaker’s Dream

“This is my life’s work: to keep refining the art of making the perfect shoe, and never to put my name on a shoe that falls short of it.”

— Salvatore Ferragamo (from his autobiography, Shoemaker of Dreams)

Basic Information

• Brand name: Salvatore Ferragamo
• Fragrance division established: 1997, as Ferragamo Parfums
• First perfume released: 1998 (Ferragamo Pour Femme)
• Operating structure: Manufactured and distributed under license to Inter Parfums, Inc. since October 2021
• Official website: https://www.ferragamo.com

The Founder and the Origins of the Brand

A “Shoe Genius” Born into a Poor Farming Family in Southern Italy

Salvatore Ferragamo was born in 1898 in Bonito, a small village in Campania approximately 100 kilometers south of Naples. The eleventh of 14 children, he came from a large but poor family, at a time when shoemaking was regarded as “the lowliest of trades.”

The turning point came one night when he was nine. His older sister Giuseppina was preparing for her First Communion, but the family could not afford white shoes. Salvatore borrowed white canvas and tools from the village shoemaker and secretly began making shoes that night. The next morning, his sister went to church wearing white shoes, astonishing those around her. For the nine-year-old Salvatore, it was a moment of destiny.

He subsequently moved to Naples at 11 to become a shoemaker’s apprentice. At 14, he returned to Bonito and opened his own shop in the entrance to his mother’s house. The small workshop eventually employed six people, all of them reportedly older than Salvatore.

To America: Becoming the “Shoemaker to the Stars”

In 1915, the 16-year-old Salvatore accepted his brothers’ invitation to go to America. He worked for two weeks at the Plant Shoe Factory in Boston, but, dissatisfied with the quality of machine-made shoes, soon joined his brothers in Santa Barbara, California. The film industry was just beginning to flourish there, and Ferragamo started taking work from silent-film companies based in the city.

At the same time, he attended evening classes at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, studying anatomy. Continuing his research despite a round-trip journey of more than 320 kilometers, he discovered that “the weight of an upright human body is concentrated on just four or five centimeters of the instep, or arch.” This insight led to a groundbreaking structure that placed a steel shank inside the shoe to support the arch, laying the foundation for Ferragamo shoes that combined comfort and beauty.

When the film industry moved to Hollywood, Ferragamo followed. In 1923, he opened the Hollywood Boot Shop. He made 12,000 pairs of sandals for Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1923), and stars of the era, including Gloria Swanson, Lillian Gish, Jean Harlow, and Greta Garbo, became clients one after another. The press eventually began calling him the “Shoemaker to the Stars.”

Ferragamo himself wrote the following in his 1957 autobiography:​

“I had, in effect, taken in the entire theatrical world. My shoes were on the feet of its most dreamlike stars, on the feet of dancers, of dancing girls, of extras, of directors and producers.”

— Salvatore Ferragamo​

Returning to Florence, and Facing Adversity

After 12 years in America, Ferragamo returned to Florence in 1927 and founded his first company. A wholly handmade operation was difficult to expand, yet machine-made quality did not satisfy him. To resolve that contradiction, he established a workshop combining Italian craftsmanship with American efficiency in production management. He brought together 75 young Florentine artisans in his first workshop and trained them himself.

But the path was not smooth. The Great Depression of 1929, combined with his dependence on the American market, led him to file for bankruptcy with a Florence court in 1933. Even so, Ferragamo did not give up. In 1936, despite the commercial restrictions resulting from bankruptcy, he moved the workshop through his sister into Palazzo Spini Feroni, a historic 13th-century palace, and restarted the business.

From the late 1930s through the Second World War, material shortages caused by Mussolini’s policy of economic self-sufficiency, or autarky, spurred creativity. With good leather and iron difficult to obtain, Ferragamo invented the cork wedge heel, patented in 1938, and made shoes from unexpected materials such as hemp, felt, fish skin, and cellophane. In 1947, the prestigious American department store Neiman Marcus invited him to Dallas and presented him with its fashion award, the first Italian to receive it. His signature Invisible Sandal, brought with him that year and combining transparent nylon fishing line with a wooden wedge, became an enormous success.

Ferragamo went on to count international celebrities such as Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, and Eva Perón among his clients, firmly establishing the brand. In 1938, he formally purchased Palazzo Spini Feroni, which remains the brand’s headquarters today.

Wanda’s Era: Expanding from Shoes into Fragrance

Salvatore died in 1960 at the age of 62, leaving his 38-year-old wife Wanda and six children. Although Wanda had no experience running a company and had previously been a full-time homemaker, she resolved to take command and carry on her husband’s vision.​

“I had only been someone who looked after the family. Then suddenly, I had to take responsibility for everything: management, replenishing stock, technical problems, and controlling expenses. I think any woman who can run a household well can also run a company.”

— Wanda Miletti Ferragamo​

Wanda led the company for almost 60 years, developing a specialist shoe brand into a comprehensive luxury house. One outcome of this expansion was Gilio, the brand’s first perfume, born in 1961. Salvatore himself is also said to have conceived it in 1960, after which Wanda completed and presented it. Its bottle was made of glass by the Murano firm Venini, and a reissue was released in later years in a worldwide limited edition of 400 bottles.​

The perfume business began in earnest much later, in 1997, when Ferragamo Parfums S.p.A. was established as a joint venture with Bulgari. Ferragamo acquired Bulgari’s entire stake in 2001, after which the family operated the perfume division independently. In 2021, after approximately 20 years of in-house operation, a licensing arrangement with Inter Parfums, Inc., the major American prestige-fragrance manufacturer and distributor, was completed. Inter Parfums is a fragrance specialist handling numerous brands, including Jimmy Choo, Coach, and Boucheron. To preserve Ferragamo’s brand values, it established a dedicated Italian subsidiary in Florence and pledged to continue production in Italy. Ferragamo chairman Leonardo Ferragamo commented as follows:

“Inter Parfums’ outstanding capabilities and recognized professionalism make it the ideal partner to carry forward our brand’s firmly established values and maintain Made in Italy production.”

— Leonardo Ferragamo (Chairman, Ferragamo S.p.A.)​

The Brand’s Distinctive Commitments

The Philosophy of “100% Made in Italy”

Luciano Bertinelli, the CEO who led the perfume business for many years, has consistently described the brand’s approach to fragrance as “100% Italian-made.” The commitment to manufacturing everything in Italy, from bottle caps to the perfume itself and its boxes, follows the policy of Ferruccio Ferragamo, the current chairman. Costs are said sometimes to be four to six times higher than manufacturing in other countries.

“We are committed to quality. All our products are made in Italy. We pay meticulous attention to detail. We invest generously in raw materials. This is the decisive difference between us and other brands.”

— Luciano Bertinelli (CEO, Ferragamo Parfums)​

The cap of Signorina Misteriosa is also made in Italy, and kilometers of the Vara Bow ribbon wrapped around the bottles are produced on special machinery at the company’s own factory in Florence. The glass bottles are known to be made by the long-established Bormioli company, which also produces bottles for Chanel No. 5.​

Bottle Design Inspired by Fashion

The concept that perfume bottles are “an extension of fashion” remains consistent. The zigzag pattern used on shoes and bags, for example, is engraved directly into the glass of the Amo bottle, a process said to be possible only thanks to Italy’s high level of technical expertise.

The Signorina series combines pastel-pink cube-shaped bottles with gold caps and grosgrain ribbons, the Vara Bow, giving them the presence of jewelry boxes.

The brand’s emblem, the Gancini, a double-hook fitting inspired by the horse-tethering fixtures on the exterior walls of Palazzo Spini Feroni in Florence, also appears on fragrance bottles. In particular, the Tuscan Creations bottles feature it on gold-colored satin-finish plaques.

Tuscany: The “Homeland of the Story”

Tuscany, where Ferragamo has been based since 1927, has also played a central role in its fragrance storytelling. The CEO of Ferragamo Parfums once remarked:

“Companies with luxury-brand stories are all entering the niche-fragrance market. We already had our own heritage: we did not need to invent a new story.”

— Luciano Bertinelli​

The Fragrance Lineup

Ferragamo Pour Femme (1998): The First Step

Released in 1998, the brand’s first perfume, Salvatore Ferragamo Pour Femme, is a fruity chypre by perfumer Jacques Cavallier. An elegant composition, it opens with star anise, neroli, and apricot, followed by floral notes of rose and lily of the valley with pepper, and closes with a base of musk, raspberry, and almond. It became the foundation of the brand’s perfume business.

The Incanto Series: Fruity Florals of Dreams and Enchantment

The Incanto series has supported Ferragamo’s fragrance portfolio since its launch in 2003. Incanto means “enchantment” or “magic” in Italian. Created by perfumer Laurent Bruyère, it combines top notes of peach and plum with a floral heart of peony, jasmine, and red lily, and a base of sandalwood, white musk, and amber.

Variations followed, including Incanto Charms (2006), Incanto Dream (2005), and Incanto Shine (2007), consistently expressing a fresh and positive world under the Incanto name.​

The Signorina Series: The Chic Girl of Florence

Launched in 2011, Signorina is a women’s fragrance series that represents Ferragamo today. The EDP, jointly composed by Sophie Labbé and Juliette Karagueuzoglou, features a fizzy opening of Madagascan pink pepper and redcurrant, a floral heart of jasmine, peony, and rose, and an Italian-elegant base of panna cotta, musk, and patchouli.

The pastel-pink cube-shaped bottle has become part of the brand’s identity, with later fragrances in the series retaining its basic form. The series expanded as follows:

• Signorina EDT (2012/2013) — A fresher variation with lychee and grapefruit​
• Signorina Eleganza (2014) — A sexier, more mature expression​
• Signorina Misteriosa (2016) — A mysterious nocturnal facet composed of blackberry, neroli, tuberose, black vanilla husk, and patchouli
• Signorina Ribelle (2019) — A fragrance embodying “the rebellious Signorina”

The Uomo Series: A Men’s Fragrance Wearing the Italian Lifestyle

Launched in 2016, Uomo is a men’s fragrance jointly composed by Alberto Morillas and Aurélien Guichard. It features a spicy opening of bergamot, black pepper, and cardamom, a sweet, Italian-inspired heart of a tiramisu accord, orange blossom, and Ambroxan, and a base of cashmere wood, sandalwood, and tonka bean.

“Elegance and a sense of beauty. Optimism and joy, like a genuine smile. Being modern, yet eternal. All this is the story of Uomo Salvatore Ferragamo. An aphrodisiac of pure Italian style.”

— Ferragamo press release (Uomo)​

Tuscan Creations: A Niche Collection That Clothes the Wearer in Tuscany

A premium collection comprising 11 unisex fragrances, each expressing a scene from Tuscany’s culture, nature, or history. Their names all derive from Tuscan places or concepts: Rinascimento, Convivio, Bianco di Carrara, Punta Ala, Vendemmia, La Corte, Testa di Moro, Viola Essenziale, Terra Rossa, La Commedia, and Calimala, making 11 in total. The bottle design is distinguished by a lustrous satin-finish gold plaque bearing the Gancini logo.

Storie di Seta: Stories of Silk

Released in 2021, just before the transition to Inter Parfums, this collection comprises four eaux de parfum inspired by the world of the silk scarves, or foulards, that Ferragamo has created for many years. Perfumers Emilie Coppermann (in Japanese) and Aliénor Massenet (in Japanese) were responsible for the fragrances, united by a signature accord shared by all four, Filo di Seta, or “silk thread.”

• Giardini di Seta — A fruity floral of rhubarb, cherry blossom, and vetiver​
• Giungle di Seta — An intense green fragrance of green pea, peony, and musk​
• Savane di Seta — A sensual citrus-floral creation​
• Oceani di Seta — A blend expressing the image of the sea​

The four fragrances are designed to be worn alone or layered, offering a perfume experience of creating “your own sailor-custom fragrance.” Further fragrances, including Foreste di Seta and Cieli di Seta, have since been added to the collection.

By the Way…

• Greta Garbo Bought 70 Pairs on a Single Visit to Florence. Ferragamo’s autobiography recounts how Greta Garbo visited the Florence boutique and bought 70 pairs of custom-made low-heeled shoes at once.​
• Marilyn Monroe’s Shoes in The Seven Year Itch Were Also by Ferragamo. The open-toed slingbacks Monroe wore in the famous scene where air blows upward from a subway grate were Ferragamo creations.​
• He Divided Women into Three Categories by Foot Size. Salvatore classified his custom-shoe clients by their foot size as “Cinderellas,” size six or below; “Venuses,” size six; and “Aristocrats,” size seven or above, assigning a different personality to each. Mary Pickford was a Cinderella, Marilyn Monroe a Venus, and Greta Garbo an Aristocrat, for example.​
• There Is a Joke Hidden in the Name Amo. Bertinelli says he particularly enjoys, as a touch of humor, the fact that the name Amo happens to match the ending of Ferragamo.​
• There Is Also a Documentary Film. In 2022, Sony Pictures Classics released Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams, a feature-length documentary directed by Luca Guadagnino of Call Me by Your Name. Martin Scorsese, Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, and Wanda Ferragamo herself, who was still alive at the time of her contribution, appear as commentators.​​