Fri | Sep 27, 2024

Ferragamo’s new collection marries ballet history, Maximilian Davis’ J’can roots

Published:Friday | September 27, 2024 | 12:10 AM
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Parachute dresses figured prominently in the collection.
AP
Parachute dresses figured prominently in the collection.
Ferragamo creative director Maximilian Davis zeroed in on dance, specifically ballet, this season for the Ferragamo Spring Summer 2025 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, on Saturday.
AP
Ferragamo creative director Maximilian Davis zeroed in on dance, specifically ballet, this season for the Ferragamo Spring Summer 2025 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, on Saturday.
Knotting and draping gives this knit dress an unorthodox shape. It is paired with ribboned pointed-toe pumps.
AP
Knotting and draping gives this knit dress an unorthodox shape. It is paired with ribboned pointed-toe pumps.
This parachute dress, with its billowing bubble shape, flows and moves with the model as she makes her way down the runway.
AP
This parachute dress, with its billowing bubble shape, flows and moves with the model as she makes her way down the runway.
A model wears an asymmetrical fitted dress as part of the Ferragamo Spring Summer 2025 collection.
AP
A model wears an asymmetrical fitted dress as part of the Ferragamo Spring Summer 2025 collection.
Look 20 from the Ferragamo Spring Summer 2025 collection.
AP
Look 20 from the Ferragamo Spring Summer 2025 collection.
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Ferragamo creative director Maximilian Davis celebrated the freedom of movement inherent in ballet in his new collection, inspired by archival photos of brand founder Salvatore Ferragamo fitting African American ballet dancer Katherine Dunham for shoes.

Dunham often trained and worked in the Caribbean, which allowed the British designer with Jamaican roots “to find a link between Ferragamo’s Italian-ness and my heritage”.

The collection recalls a 1980s way of dressing, with strong shoulders and oversized tailoring, also an homage to Russian ballet star Rudolf Nuryev, another historic Ferragamo customer.

To emphasise movement, Davis created long parachute dresses in silk nylon, suede and organza with a billowing bubble shape. The ballet dancer is honoured in cashmere dancer wraps colour-blocked with layered leotards. More subversively, shorts with frayed denim suggested a tutu.