Discover The Red-Carpet Drama Of Maximilian Davis’s Showstopping Debut for Ferragamo
With his first, incredible collection for Ferragamo, creative director Maximilian Davis wowed the fashion world with bold Spring/Summer designs that pay homage to the Italian maison’s heritage and old-school Hollywood glamour, while bringing a contemporary and playful edge to elegant, everyday wardrobes
A new energy is afoot at Ferragamo. The Italian brand was established in Italy in 1927 and made its name in footwear — but it has since built a solid reputation as a go-to for a foundational wardrobe that works from the ground up. From dawn until dusk, the Florence-based brand has become known for its polished tailoring, refined color palettes and effortless sensibility, whether that’s a trench coat with elongated proportions or a boxy handbag to store your everyday essentials.
For his Spring/Summer 2023 debut, creative director Maximilian Davis said he looked to the maison’s heritage. This collection is both an ode to the past and a vision for the future. “I wanted to pay tribute to Salvatore’s start by bringing in the culture of Hollywood – but new Hollywood,” says Davis, citing the maison’s historic relationship with cinematic stars that include Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. Exploring the “ease and sensuality” of Los Angeles, the epicenter of on-screen stardom, Davis unveiled a collection of versatile pieces that are as appropriate for elegant, after-dark events on the red carpet as they might be on vacation, worn for sunset strolls along a sandy beach.
“I want each piece to feel playful, but also desirable as an object
”Maximilian Davis
The color red plays a central role, referring not just to the sumptuous carpets but Ferragamo’s famed heels, which were crafted for Monroe in 1959 and decorated in countless red sparkles. In this spirit, Davis scattered scintillating crystals across everything, from whisper-thin turtlenecks to tailored pants — each garment refracting the light, like a camera flash. One of the earliest luxury brands to court a bi-coastal clientele, Ferragamo’s SS23 collection speaks to the sartorial needs of today’s modern traveler: slick, architectural bags are capacious enough for the airplane and the office, while opaque mini dresses, befit for warm-weather climates, were proposed alongside more robust tailoring that translates to cooler, trans-seasonal temperatures.
Known for his tuxedos, with this collection, Davis mixes those sharp, city-appropriate shoulders with the romance of Italy. Blazers are turned into mini-dress silhouettes, or cropped to sit above the waist – they sit alongside breezy, billowing gowns fit for both ancient and modern goddesses. Wear them for weddings with flat sandals, or slip them on over salty skin for those beach days that turn into a night out in a bar.
Accessories dial up the drama. Heels are replete with bondage-style straps and sculptural, spherical heels that turn each pair of shoes into a sartorial statement – such attention-grabbing sandals are sure to earn gravitas in your wardrobe. Pair with stonewashed jeans, a crisp white vest and a blazer for an effortless look that will easily switch up your daytime look for one that works into the early hours. “I want each piece to feel playful, but also desirable as an object,” said the designer, who also reinterpreted the label’s ‘Wanda’ bag, named after Salvatore Ferragamo’s wife and introduced in 1988, with a slick new oversized silhouette. “I want each piece to stand on its own.”
“Maximilian Davis brings an intimacy to his designs, ensuring that the Ferragamo woman will be able to find new, trusted staples she can wear with confidence and pride – any time, any place, anywhere
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Born in Britain, Davis is a master of connecting the narrative threads of past and present. His debut for Ferragamo speaks as much to Renaissance paintings and Italian architecture as it does the vivacious mood of his own Caribbean heritage. Sensual chiffons and silks, which fluidly drape and riff on Florentine architecture, also evoke the free spirit of tropical beaches: an opaque mini dress in red and pink mimics island sunsets and would be ideal slipped on over a bikini for a refined island dinner. A floor-length kaftan, rendered in monochrome and decorated with a cheetah, would work just as well at a party on a Los Angeles terrace as it would for an aperitif on an Amalfi beach.
Indeed, the beach is a poetic reference that draws Davis’s collection together: the shoreline of each nation, connected by the oceans, references the global woman. “The beach relates to Ferragamo, to Hollywood, but also to me and my own DNA,” says the designer. “It’s a place where you can go to reflect and feel at one.” With this bi-coastal, cross-territory vision, Davis certainly brings an intimacy to his designs, ensuring that the Ferragamo woman will be able to find new, trusted staples she can wear with confidence and pride – any time, any place, anywhere.