Ferragamo Spring-Summer 2025: A Ballet-Inspired Collection by Maximilian Davis

For Spring-Summer 2025, Ferragamo Creative Director Maximilian Davis delves into the brand’s rich historical tapestry, drawing inspiration from its mid-century connection to ballet. In a season where modernity and heritage dance together, Davis revisits an intimate moment in Ferragamo’s history—a snapshot of Salvatore Ferragamo fitting a shoe on dancer and anthropologist Katherine Dunham in mid-century Florence. This profound encounter reflects the brand’s relationship with expressive elegance, now reimagined with Davis’s personal narrative.

A Celebration of Elegance in Motion

“I’ve always incorporated different historic eras in my work—eras that feel relatable to me and my heritage,” says Davis. “At Ferragamo, I’ve sought out similarities. The beauty of this brand is that there are so many different stories you can relate to. Every shoe has a meaning behind it. Every shoe has a story.” Davis’s vision encapsulates decades of inspiration, translating them into silhouettes that balance the beauty of Ferragamo’s past with his own contemporary aesthetic.

Ballet Meets Bold: The Silhouette Story

This season’s collection finds a harmonious balance between timeless ballet elegance and contemporary boldness. Practice uniforms inspire second-skin cashmere cotton pieces—layered, twisted, and tied—allowing a dance between comfort and sophistication. Ballooning silhouettes create visual movement, with opera coats and parachute dresses rendered in silk nylons, suede, and organza. The ballet-inspired aesthetic brings a unique softness, echoed in fabrics and flowing forms that mirror the grace of dance.

Adding an edge to this balletic vision, the collection also pays homage to 80s fashion with oversized tailoring and technical tracksuits. Meanwhile, the essence of Dunham’s mid-century glamour reappears through sequined embroideries, modernized with resin treatments that introduce a contemporary allure.

Caribbean Influence: Raw Textures & Vibrant Details

The collection takes cues from the vibrant energy of the Caribbean, expressed through frayed, stonewashed denim and organic forms. Raw finishes contrast the overall purity of the designs, injecting a rebellious spirit. Raised hemlines evoke a sense of romance, flirting with fetishism through strategically placed details.

Footwear emerges as a key narrative, with pointy, angular Eva pumps and graphic sandals laced with matte silk ribbons—a nod to the ballerina inspiration. Fringed jacquard mules and geometric booties reflect a contemporary evolution of 1940s archival styles, infusing the collection with nostalgic elements reinvented for today.

Elevated Accessories: Artful Handcraft & Timeless Bags

At the heart of the Ferragamo brand lies its mastery of leather craftsmanship. Davis showcases this through intricate Gancini interlacing, discreet yet omnipresent in the collection’s narrative. Sustainability is woven into the fabric of Ferragamo’s story, exemplified by the introduction of stonewashed denim jacquard and perforated satchel bags.

Accessories take on soft, supple shapes. A new handbag silhouette gently collapses into itself, pierced with a metal Gancini, while the iconic Hug bag sees a softened and restructured design. The Foulard, inspired by the drape of scarves, reimagines elegance in a two-piece hobo form, suspended from a leather Gancini chain.

The Spirit of Ferragamo: A Harmonious Evolution

Maximilian Davis’s Spring-Summer 2025 collection for Ferragamo transcends traditional storytelling by merging historical elegance with contemporary sophistication. The collection is an ode to the brand’s expressive roots, creating a ballet of design elements that move fluidly between past and present. It’s a celebration of motion and modernity, where every piece has a story—every stitch, a meaning.

From artful handcraft to Caribbean influences and the spirit of ballet, Ferragamo Spring-Summer 2025 offers a masterclass in harmonizing history and innovation. It’s a dance between elegance and boldness, with each design speaking to the timeless narrative of a brand that continues to evolve.

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Image credit: Ferragamo