Salvatore Ferragamo is among the best known Italian luxury goods brand in the world. The brand symbolizes a unification of craftsmanship and innovation – key elements which enable a brand to be desired by many. After all these years, Salvatore Ferragamo might have come a long way from its roots, but the tradition remains to be the bedrock of the brand.
 
Today, Salvatore Ferragamo is known as a world leader in designing, making and selling men’s and ladies' shoes, fashion accessories, leather goods, handbags and perfume. As in the case of its shoes, innovation and perfect quality are two principles to be strictly adhered to by Salvatore Ferragamo. The objective is to create goods which are unique and which bring out the wearer’s personality without loosing touch with contemporary ideas of elegance. All the goods are designed and made in Italy; they are painstakingly made with the finest quality and the delicate attention of craftsmen. Even with the advent of mechanical production, Ferragamo’s shoes are still handmade to ensure their quality and enduring classic beauty.
 
Salvatore Ferragamo, the eponymous company established in 1927, was famous as a shoemaker. The company’s founder Mr. Salvatore Ferragamo had grown up with a passion for shoes, having opened a shoe shop in home town, Bonito, at the age of 13. In 1923 he set up shop in Hollywood, and quickly became known as the “shoemaker to the stars”. Movie stars and celebrities who sought his shoes included some of the biggest names of his time: Greta Garbo; Audrey Hepburn; Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe. Even contemporary stars such Madonna, Zhang Ziyi, Tony Leung, Liu Ye, Ang Lee, Charlie Yung and Carina Lau have owned Ferragamo shoes at one time or another. Throughout his career, Salvatore Ferragamo created a number of sensational shoes which defined an epoch: the stiletto heels worn by Marilyn Monroe and the round-toe Holly ballerina shoes created specially for Audrey Hepburn which became a symbol of beauty and classic elegance were but some of the finest examples of Ferragamo’s limitless creativity. The 'invisible’ shoes which features a thin nylon strand wound around the sole were another of his famous inventions. They won him the Nieman Marcus Prize – considered the 'Oscar' of the fashion world – in 1947.
 
With over 3,000 employees and a network of 585 single-brand stores as of 30 September 2011, the Ferragamo Group operates in Italy and worldwide through companies that allow it to be a leader on European, American and Asian markets.