Vintage Ferragamo Leather Belt
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Height: 1 in (2.54 cm)Length: 31 in (78.74 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU44238207061
Ferragamo
A perfectionist who as a child crafted a pair of white shoes for his sister’s first holy communion because his parents couldn’t afford new footwear, Salvatore Ferragamo was ambitious from his earliest days. The young Italian shoemaker established in the years that followed what would one day become a fashion empire — the highly profitable multinational family-owned and -operated luxury brand today counts more than 600 stores in 96 countries around the world, and vintage Ferragamo shoes, handbags and other clothing and accessories are objects of desire for fashion lovers everywhere.
Salvatore Ferragamo sought an education in the art of shoemaking when he was eleven — he apprenticed with a local shoemaker and spent a short time in nearby Naples learning what he could at a shoe factory. He opened his first shop with a handful of workers the following year, and in 1914 — when he was still a teenager — Ferragamo emigrated to America, just as his siblings had before him, seeking new opportunities for work and to learn in the footwear trade.
After securing a job at the Plant Shoe Factory in Boston, Massachusetts, Ferragamo was uninspired by machine-made footwear. He moved across the country to Santa Barbara, California. Owing to a connection he made with a then-actor cousin, Ferragamo found work with the American Film Manufacturing Company. He made women’s shoes and provided durable cowboy boots for a film crew’s costuming department. Ferragamo’s reputation in the world of Hollywood cinema soon broadened, and he established a storefront in Mission Canyon where he made shoes by hand for the likes of actresses Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo and Dolores del Río.
By the 1920s, film directors commissioned Ferragamo to produce shoes for a range of movies — the list of films eventually included The Ten Commandments, The Covered Wagon and The Thief of Baghdad. When he felt comfortable enough with the English language, Ferragamo also enrolled in anatomy courses at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in order to better understand motion and the demands that we place on our footwear.
By the late 1920s, Ferragamo sought to expand production of his shoes and returned to Italy. He hired scores of apprentices to work in a factory in Florence, where Ferragamo carefully melded the principles of handcraftsmanship with all that he learned about America’s shoe factories. He filed patents — hundreds over the years — on the steel shank arch and many other unique aspects of his shoe design, and when economic and political influences during the 1930s forced Ferragamo to substitute pressed cork for steel to support the arch, the wedge heel was born. Other creative materials he integrated into his forward-looking creations were hemp, felt, nylon fishing line, fish skin and cellophane twisted with silk.
In the late 1940s, the brand’s first storefront opened in Manhattan, and today Salvatore Ferragamo is known worldwide and is synonymous with a wealth of iconic footwear such as Viva ballet flats, Vara Bow pumps, Gancini loafers and lots more. Ferragamo’s son, Ferruccio, was appointed CEO in 1984. Under his leadership, Ferruccio diversified and expanded the fashion business further, getting into sunglasses, fragrance, watches and made-to-measure men’s shoes. Ferruccio was succeeded by his brother, Leonardo Ferragamo, and British designer Maximilian Davis is now creative director of the brand.
Find vintage Ferragamo shoes, clothing and other items on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Vintage Bottega Veneta BeltBy Bottega VenetaLocated in London, GBA great vintage belt by Bottega Veneta. The belt is canvas with a leather covered buckle and end. Measurements: Length 41'', height 1 1/2''.Category
1990s Italian Belts
- Vintage belt with wonderful Copper buckleLocated in London, GBA wonderful copper buckle with a cheetah and twim embellishment. The buckle measures 4 1/2'' wide and 4'' high, the belt is 32'' long and 2 1/2''.Category
1980s Unknown Belts
- Pretty Vintage Maru Obi BeltLocated in London, GBA pretty vintage Maru Obi Belt . These belts are the most formal of obi belts. They have a pattern on both sides, in this case a floral scene in green, peach...Category
1980s Japanese Belts
- Vintage Japanease Silk Obi BeltLocated in London, GBA stunning silk Obi belt in a green and silver floral design. The belt can be worn with a kimono or other clothing, or alternatively the fabric can be used fo...Category
1960s Japanese Belts
- Vintage Silk Obi BeltLocated in London, GBA great obi belt from the 1960s,in a rainbow design. The belt has a silver background, with rainbows of various colours eg green, orange, purple and gold. The...Category
1960s Japanese Belts
- Green , Purple and Orange Obi Belt with Hexagaonal designLocated in London, GBA stunning Obi belt for Spring. The belt has a bright green background, and a hexagaonal design with green, purple and orange flowers. Total length 12'' x 162'', embroidered panels m...Category
1980s Japanese Belts
- Early Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Snake BeltBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in New York, NYRare Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture snake skin belt from the 1970s. Padded to be 3 dimensional and set with a silvered bronze snake head which serves as the clasp. Unlabeled HC fro...Category
1970s French Belts
- Monogram branded belt with metal bit in cotton and leather CélineBy CelineLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRMonogram branded belt with metal bit in cotton and leather. 80 cm X 5 cmCategory
1970s Italian Belts
- Hermes Constance 42 mm Belt Etoupe & White Brushed Gold Buckle 105By HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers an Hermes Constance 42 mm belt featured in reversible Etoupe to White. Fabulous over sized brushed gold signature H buckle. The 42 mm...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Belts
- Christian Dior Large Gilded Gold Hardware Buckle and BeltBy Christian DiorLocated in New York, NYChristian Dior vintage large detailed gilded gold with filigree hardware belt buckle with a adjustable black calfskin leather belt. The gilded gold filigree det...Category
1970s French Belts
- Alexis Kirk Bold Gilded Gold Vermeil Belt Buckle with Textured Leather BeltsBy Alexis KirkLocated in New York, NYAlexis Kirk bold gilded gold hardware belt buckle with vermeil finish comes with a choice of two textured leather adjustable belts, one in beige lined with tan leather. A...Category
1980s American Belts
- Bold Hand-Woven Multi-Shell Wrap BeltLocated in New York, NYThis wonderful Hand-woven silk cord belt has assorted natural shells and natural corals of multiple shades and colors. The center huge shell meas...Category
1970s American Belts