Ferragamo is experiencing a new renaissance with Maximilian Davis
Ferragamo Creative Director Maximilian Davis looks to the past to establish the Italian luxury brand in the future. The brand’s Fall/Winter 2023 campaign, Ferragamo’s New Renaissance, is an ode to Ferragamo’s hometown of Florence and the Renaissance artists who made this world famous.
In 1927 Salvatore Ferragamo moved into the Palazzo Spini Feroni in the center of Florence and has been firmly anchored in the city’s history ever since. The 13th-century palazzo is still the headquarters of the brand, which describes the building in a statement on Tuesday as “the emblem of a Florentine bottega,” that is, the workshop of masters and artisans.
Maximilian Davis, who has been in charge of Ferragamo’s creative direction for just over a year, has paid homage to the city’s greatest artists and teamed up with the Uffizi to find a balance between past and present. For the campaign, famous artworks from the 15th and 16th centuries, including Giorgio Vasari’s 1542 Portrait of Alessandro de Medici and Botticelli’s 1475 Portrait of a Man with a Medal of Cosimo the Elder, were juxtaposed with Davis’ creations.
“The Renaissance is firmly anchored in Florence, and Florence is firmly anchored in Ferragamo,” Davis said. “At this time of new beginnings at the house, it was only logical to make the birthplace of the Renaissance our spiritual home and to use the deep, artistic spirit of this city to present the new collection.”
While not painted by Renaissance master painters, the campaign was captured by photographer Tyler Mitchell and features a cast of creatives described as muses, friends and members of Davis’ creative community. In addition to models Anok Yai, Vittoria Ceretti, Lina Zhang, Jessica Stam and Mona Tougaard, the campaign also featured creative consultant and strategist Zainab Jama, singer-songwriter Kelela and sound artist Yasmina Dexter. In addition, Mitchell staged himself, a guest performance that was no stranger to artists of the past.
