Guillaume Meilland did a good job of bringing the brand into the fashion conversation.
Salvatore Ferragamo design director Guillaume Meilland is determined to take the brand in a more modern, casual-luxe, gender-fluid direction. At the fall 2022 presentation, there wasn’t a bow in sight.
To be expected, accessories were front and center, but they were trend-right, rugged, lug sole hiker and combat boots, as well as a new running shoe with rainbow soles referencing Ferragamo’s iconic 1938 shoes.
The brand debuted a utilitarian soft, foldover bucket bag with studded base, and a half-moon bag with a chunky leather chain that was a motif throughout, and a little too reminiscent of Jonathan Anderson.
The collection coed looks also played off the brand’s leather goods heritage in fun ways, with 1960s-inspired leather button-front minis and a gorgeous green leather A-line coat borrowing hardware from Ferragamo bags.
Meilland mixed in plenty of texture with a feathery looking black sleeveless top of shaved, lacerated shearling, worn over blue duchesse silk trousers, for example, as well as on cable knit knit sweaters and long john pants.
But there was a practical lightness to a flirty red, weightless knit ruffled keyhole tank, a draped knit tunic that looked great over pants, and a poncho made from two wool cashmere scarves.
Meilland referenced workwear in Dickies-like chinos made from cotton silk, and a pair of wool overalls.
“The idea is if you know your heritage, you can take it further,” he said. “But everything is informed by function and I think that’s right for a brand like Ferragamo.”
The brand has had many iterations and the current one is still being written under new chief executive editor Marco Gobbetti. But this season, Meilland did a good job of bringing Ferragamo into the fashion conversation without being overly referential of the brand’s past.
