CONVERGENCE

All paths lead to a new whole for Salvatore Ferragamo’s Creative Director, Paul Andrew.

By RADHINA COUTINHO
Photography JACK DAVISON

Paul Andrew is a master at convergence. Whether it’s reconciling archival design with contemporary aesthetics, borrowing the functional form of accessory design to re-imagine garment construction, or marrying the vastly contrasting identities of the fashion world’s increasingly global customer, Andrew seems adept at confidently taking it in his stride.

His beginnings in footwear design have shaped his self-coined ‘toe-to-head’ approach - a defining link between Ferragamo’s legendary founder Salvatore and Andrew’ own beginnings as a footwear designer for Narciso Rodriguez, Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein and Donna Karan before starting his own eponymous shoe line in 2012.

Known for its innovative approach to both design and use of unusual materials of construction such as strips of rainbow-hued suede and leather uppers made to resemble fish scales, the house of Ferragamo under the stewardship of founder Salvatore, wrote its name permanently into the annals of 20th century footwear history with the creation of iconic designs such as the cork wedge and the cage heel and a little black book of the brightest stars of Hollywood’s golden age, including Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn and Greta Garbo. Over the decades, as the Italian fashion house’s horizons expanded to include luxury leather goods, eyewear, accessories, watches, perfumes and ready-to-wear collections for both men and women, Ferragamo has had to simultaneously expand its creative and inspirational repertoire – often revisiting its early utilitarian forays and always celebrating its effusive love of color.

The results have been overwhelmingly successful, bar a few recent chequered patches during a period marked by a series of creative appointments at the helm just before Andrew appearance on the scene.

Perhaps it’s serendipity that Andrew arrived at Ferragamo at a point in time when the classic Italian fashion house began exploring a new aesthetic direction. From Design Director of Women’s Footwear at Ferragamo in 2016, to Design Director of Women’s Ready-to-Wear in 2017 and the brand’s Creative Director since February 2019, Andrew seems determined to lead the brand down reassuringly familiar - yet decidedly fresh - paths.

Menswear has taken a clear turn down the path of streetwear and sportswear in the past decade. You have expressed quite decisively that this isn’t your vision of luxury. How do you translate a refined elegance to a growing preference for a more relaxed luxury aesthetic?

What’s interesting is that the two paths converge like the tributaries of a river. One of those tributaries stems from what Salvatore Ferragamo is all about: exactly as you say - it’s a feeling of refinement and elegance as well as craft, heritage, culture and quality. The other tributary you could describe as “streetwear” - although it’s an inadequate term I think, and a bit problematic - that is clothes worn on the street that come from a tradition of sportswear and which are often made of synthetic materials. Absolutely decisively - again as you say - that is not my vision of luxury.

However, that does not mean what we design and craft is not “relaxed”, in fact the opposite is true. For example, one of my favorite pieces in the Spring-Summer 2020 collection is a hoodie. It’s unlike any other hoodie you can buy in that its cut in ultra-light and ultra-soft nappa leather in this amazing burnt orange color. It’s a zip up in fact, with a drawstring detail at the collar based on an archival military piece that makes it a really utilitarian protective garment. So it's relaxed, refined, luxurious… and rugged too. It will last you for life, and probably be cherished by your son too. And what we are seeing increasingly is that guys who have become engaged with fashion through the rise of so-called “streetwear” are increasingly growing to appreciate depth as well as surface. Ferragamo is about surface, however we are also about depth. And the reason I don’t think “streetwear” is an adequate term is that for me Salvatore Ferragamo is very much streetwear too! We have been producing streetwear for decades - our kind of streetwear.

You have moved away from a highly visible usage of the logo to favor the clothes themselves showcasing the Ferragamo identity. What is the essence of the Ferragamo look for you today?

This goes back to the relation of surface and depth, really - having a holistic approach to qualities and aesthetics based on the idea that a “look” is partially defined by a “feel” on behalf of the wearer. Personally I’m a 90s kid, so I’m naturally drawn to a clean minimalism because that’s the context in which my own aesthetic was formed. I’m also very serious about the clothes being functionally appealing to inhabit. That’s probably because my own path is rooted in shoe design, and making sure your design is comfortable is the first non-negotiable quality every shoe must have. In terms of logos, we prefer not to use them too much. For me a big logo is the equivalent of wearing a name card at a big function: it is soulless. But we do use the gancino hardware, a hook based on a real piece of ironwork in our home palazzo in Florence, as a more subtle punctuation mark.

You have been tasked with cultivating a new generation of Ferragamo customer. Who do you think this is?

We exclude nobody and welcome everybody. What we do is offer the best expression of the qualities of excellence and refinement that we can create each season, using all the resources and expertise our artisans possess to create remarkable and unique shoes, belts, bags and of course, garments. The upshot is that we are simultaneously inclusive in our philosophy and exclusive in the quality of our products.

Fashion today is no longer dominated by the aesthetic of the classic Italian or European legacy houses. It’s overwhelmingly global. How do you respond to this greater diversity - evident in everything from the age and generation of your customers, to their race, culture, lifestyle and gender identity?

I totally agree with you about the global nature of the fashion aesthetic and audience, and the diversity contained in that audience, and I think it’s great. When building our collections I think in terms of a “patchwork of characters” - both in the audience we are designing for and in the diversity of our references and sources. Our starting point is always Florence and our own identity, and our intention - our destination - is always to reflect the world and appeal to the world. One rather wonderful thing about being at a house where the core original product is shoes is that we all wear shoes! Shoes are a point of human connection in a world teeming with individuals of every creed, culture, and orientation - so this allows us to express our inclusive exclusivity.

You’ve developed a reputation for breathing new life into Ferragamo’s legacy of using a palette of richly evocative colors. How important is color in helping your customers connect with the soul of the Ferragamo brand?

Color is a powerful and enriching evocative consideration for every design. Sometimes color can be as much about not saying something as it is about saying it - I love the cool restraint and confidence of white and black. And then sometimes color helps you embody a different kind of confidence, like the burnt orange of that hoodie I mentioned earlier - that articulates both a total self-possession and a sense of joy. Everywhere I go, from New York to New Mexico, from the Middle East to the middle of the Italian countryside brings me inspiration in this regard.

How does your own “toe-to-head” approach connect to the brand’s own beginnings in luxury shoemaking?

The story of Salvatore Ferragamo the man is incredible - he was to footwear what Steve Jobs was to computing. He grew up in very poor circumstances in the South of Italy and began making shoes before the age of ten as an apprentice to a village shoemaker. It quickly became apparent he had an almost freakish talent and an extraordinary eye. He went to Naples, then New York and eventually Hollywood where he set up a business providing shoes to movie productions and movie stars. He invented the wedge shoe, developed his own sizing and fitting techniques, and filed literally hundreds of patents for his inventions. Then he decided to return to Italy and came to Florence, where he purchased a building and started building what would become Salvatore Ferragamo the house. So to be part of a story that starts with him is a real honor - and it speaks to my own vocation as a shoe designer of course. The “toe-to-head” approach is a way of reminding ourselves that everything at Salvatore Ferragamo begins with the shoe, but that we also consider every aspect of our customers’ needs.

Do you think a deep background in luxury accessories shapes your vision for ready-to-wear? Does it confer any advantages on you and other designers who have a similar career trajectory over those who evolve purely within a tradition of garment design?

I work with an excellent team and we have ready-to-wear specialists who have a deep, deep knowledge of garment design - which is vitally important, obviously! As per the “toe-to-head” philosophy, our garments and other accessories are created to harmoniously reflect and connect with the footwear. I don’t think coming from a background in footwear and accessories creates an advantage - it’s simply a different perspective.

How does Ferragamo’s historic commitment to innovative materials and craftsmanship techniques translate into today’s collections?

We have a huge workforce of craftsmen and craftswomen who make our products here in Italy. Some of them are knitters or specialist crochet makers who work from their homes in the hills, while others are specialist shoemakers who come to our factories and workshops. They are all part of the culture of this company and they all possess knowledge and skills that have been handed down to them and which they will hand down to others. The leathers, fabrics, cork and other materials that they shape by hand into products are always of the highest quality, and we are constantly researching both new materials and also the refinement and improvement of the materials in which we are specialists.

You’ve expressed a desire to move towards a more sustainably-inclined model of production at Ferragamo. How do you reconcile what is essentially an extravagant industry with the concerns of a more environmentally-conscious customer?

What I would say to an environmentally-conscious customer is that our leathers are by-products and if you choose to walk every day in the same pair of shoes and thus reduce your consumption and impact, then a pair of Salvatore Ferragamo oxfords, say, or combat boots will absolutely last a lifetime, at least via several resolings. Also, we are increasingly using up-cycled leathers - for instance in the woven bags and shoes for Fall-Winter 2020.

How do you connect the classic heritage of Ferragamo’s Florentine roots to the more edgy and international influences in your own career from Alexander McQueen to Calvin Klein and Donna Karen?

Lee McQueen, Calvin Klein and Donna Karan expressed their invention through the re-invention and re-contextualisation of classical influences - whether in sportswear or Savile Row tailoring or mid-century French couture. Ferragamo is in the pantheon of classic fashion, as you say. He invented so much. Here my opportunity is to take what I’ve learned from the designers I’ve worked under and apply and adapt their mindsets to mine, as I work to service and further the house of Salvatore Ferragamo. Everything connects.

Ferragamo has a very deep archive of creative ideas and innovative approaches. Where will the Ferragamo of the future look for inspiration? Where do you look for it personally?

Personally, I think you have to look at the world around you, consider your role in it, and do your best to improve the world through your actions. I think the Ferragamo of the future will strive to invent new ways of expressing its heritage, culture and history in a manner that reflects the world and all the changes in the world.

What your customers think about, value and cherish would have seen dramatic shifts with the events of the past few months and what are likely to be several more months of unimagined change. How will this have an impact of your view of the world and Ferragamo's place in it?

We have all had time to reflect, worry, hope and wonder at the effects of COVID-19 - which has set off an astonishing domino effect of events that previously seemed impossible - almost daily. The last few months feel like they've contained a decade's worth of history! And while they have been totally turbulent, they have not been totally terrible - the lesson I've taken from managing rapid change that’s beyond my control is that there can be further rapid change we do control.

Many are predicting the death of consumerism and globalization as we know it and the return of hyperpolarization and the value of simple pleasures. Do you think what the world - especially countries like Italy - has experienced in the past few months will really change the way people live? How will it change the way you do business as a company?

I think that we are going to see different groups react in different ways, but am sure that overall, the new Twenties are going to be a decade of sweeping changes. I think some will hold simpler and serious values close to their hearts, while others will return to joyfulness and frivolity just as soon as they get the chance! One thing that won't change is the diversity of humanity. I think we have to strive as a company to a sustainability that is both social and environmental.

How have you personally sought to stay connected with what you value and what inspires you during the past few months and how have you maintained Ferragamo's connectivity with the soul of your customers?

When I was in isolation, it was a solitary confinement here in Florence. Apart from work, I used the time to research art, read fiction, work out a lot and expand my cooking abilities - it was a routine designed to feed me, body and soul! That time of looking inwards made me determined to value the world and people around me even more once we are free to connect again. I think that resolution is pretty universal, and I plan to reflect it through what we do here at Ferragamo.

How do you tap into the soul of your customers today - what they think about, celebrate, lust after or mourn? How does this translate into your creative vision for Ferragamo?

Design is all about providing answers to questions that come from the soul and I think now people are thinking about community, identity, their place in the world and their philosophy of action. I think that philosophy is increasingly going to be about the pursuit of excellence and responsibility as a marker of quality and as a path to happiness and fulfilment. Salvatore Ferragamo is a family company and I think expanding the dynamics of the family - a network of individuals unified by their love and respect and support for each other - is going to be an answer to some of our questions. We can make things better - and make better things - together.