Ferragamo Head West With Photographer Tyler Mitchell
We all know that Salvatore Ferragamo was among the golden age of Hollywood’s most renowned cobblers. Having created custom styles for the likes of Marilyn Monroe, the Florentine designer was synonymous with the glamour of Tinseltown. Still, it wasn’t just silver screen starlets that inspired Ferragamo. In 1923, the designer created cowboy boots for the 1923 film The Covered Wagon, which was the starting point for current creative director Maximilian Davis’ latest pre-fall collection for the brand.
‘I want to explore what contemporary essentials are, from denim to eveningyear’, Davis says in today’s press release. ‘To take classic pieces in the everyday wardrobe and twist or subvert them with textures and materials that make them feel more modern, more playful and more unexpected’.
The collection features Davis’ sensual silhouettes reimagined as daywear. In lieu of the barely-there eveningyear that defined much of the British/Caribbean designer’s oeuvre since his first collections for Fashion East back in 2021. For pre-fall 2023 this means reimagining western motifs like gingham and denim on denim into sleek, contemporary cuts.
As the first black creative director for the brand, it should come as no surprise that Davis would want another industry pioneer to lens his latest campaign. This meant enlisting American photographer Tyler Mitchell who first made headlines as the first black photographer to shoot an American Vogue cover. Like Davis, Mitchell’s approach is defined by his subdued aesthetic.
‘There’s a simplicity and elegance to his work and the way that he captures people; a laid-back clarity which is never forced,’ explains Davis.
