Gianfranco Ferré (; 15 August 1944 – 17 June 2007) was an Italian
fashion designer
Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applied arts, applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has va ...
also known as "the architect of fashion" for his background and his original attitude toward creating fashion design.
Early life and education
Ferré was born on 15 August 1944 in
Legnano, near
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
in
Lombardy
The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
, in northern Italy, the first child of Luigi Ferré and Andrea Morosi. He attended the ''
liceo scientifico'' of Legnano, and then, from 1963, studied
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
at the
Polytechnic University of Milan
The Polytechnic University of Milan (, abbreviated as PoliMi) is a university in Milan, Italy. It is the largest technical university in the country, with about 40,000 enrolled students. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, and higher ...
in central Milan, where he graduated in 1969.
Early career
Ferré began his fashion career in 1970 by designing accessories, then worked as a
raincoat designer in 1972–74. He started his own company Baila in 1974,
[BBC Italian fashion idol Ferre dies]
''BBC'', 17 June 2007 and launched his signature collection for women in 1978. His first men's collection appeared in 1982, followed in 1986 by his first
couture collection in Rome.
Ferré became Stylistic Director of
Christian Dior
Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer and founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Dior, Christian Dior SE. His fashion house is known all around the world, having gained promi ...
in Paris in 1989, when he was chosen by owner
Bernard Arnault
Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault (; born 5 March 1949) is a French businessman, investor, and art collector. He is the founder, chairman and CEO of LVMH, the world's largest luxury goods company. Arnault is one of the richest individuals in the ...
to replace
Marc Bohan
Roger Maurice Louis Bohan (22 August 1926 – 6 September 2023) was a French fashion designer, best known for his 30-year career at the house of Dior.
Early life and career
Bohan was born in Paris and grew up in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, Sceaux. ...
. In 1994, Ferré designed the
Lady Dior handbag. In 1996, it was announced that Ferré would end his engagement with Dior with the Spring 1997 collection for the label.
Gianfranco Ferré S.p.A.
History
Ferré founded his eponymous womenswear line in 1978 and in the same year founded the Gianfranco Ferré company. He kept his own line in Italy while he worked at Dior. His own label is more relaxed and pared-down than Dior. Sophisticated white shirts have become the symbol of his personal signature in fashion design.
The company achieved total sales of 950 billion Lira ($589 million) in 1994, an increase of 15% over 1993, which had enjoyed a similar increase over 1992 sales. Ferré's 14 licences contributed 58% to total sales in 1994. In 1996, total sales were already at 1250 billion Lira ($811 million).
The Gianfranco Ferré S.p.A. is the holding company that coordinates the fashion business of the Ferré label. It was owned by Gianfranco Ferré (Creative Director) and
Franco Mattioli (Chief Financial Officer) in equal shares until it was sold to IT Holdings in March 2002. Recently, Ferré announced that the group plans to become listed at the
Milan stock exchange
Borsa Italiana () or Borsa di Milano (), based in Milan at Mezzanotte Palace, is the Italian stock exchange. It manages and organises domestic market, regulating procedures for admission and listing of companies and intermediaries and supervi ...
. In order to prepare for this movement Ferré started to rearrange the holding significantly. The first step was the recruitment of experienced management personnel under the guidance of
Giuseppe Cipriano. The next step is the reduction of the number of subsidiaries from today 21 to four or five in the future. Another move is the acquisition of the apparel producer
Dei Mattioli, which is owned by Mattioli. Ferré also seems to be interested in acquiring some of his contractors, in order to have more control over the production.
In 2000, Gianfranco Ferré sold 90 per cent of his company to Gruppo Tonino Perna, the parent company of the Italian fashion group IT Holding SpA, for a sum estimated by analysts to be between $150 million and $175 million.
From 2007 to 2008,
Lars Nilsson served as the label's creative director for only five months; Nilsson's first and only menswear collection for the Gianfranco Ferré was shown in an unusual "presentation" style, with static models in a theatrical setting and no catwalk show. From April 2008 to April 2011, designers
Tommaso Aquilano and
Roberto Rimondi followed; they were let go from the company due to poor sales.
In 2008, Chinese businessman Billy Ngok entered into negotiations to buy a minority stake in the Gianfranco Ferré label from IT Holding. In 2009, three years after Ferré died, IT Holding itself went into bankruptcy administration. In 2010, Italy cleared the sale of Gianfranco Ferré to U.S. private equity firm Prodos Capital. In 2011, Dubai-based retailer Paris Group bought the company.
Product lines
* Gianfranco Ferré: Main line for men, women and children
* Ferré: Previously known as the White Label, more practical, ready-to-wear for both men and women. Within this line, there are Ferré Red (for plus size) and Ferré Fur. For Ferré men there is also Ferré Underwear.
* GF Ferré: Younger, more sporty line, for men, women
* GF Ferré Watches: Sophisticated designs of watches for men and women.
* Gianfranco Ferré Fragrances
* Ferre Milano: Casual line for women and men
* Ferre designed
Korean Air
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (KAL; ) is the flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations, and international flights. It is owned by the Hanjin, Hanjin Group.
The present-day Korean Air tra ...
's flight attendant uniforms in 2005, using Korean "binyeo" traditional hair accessories.
Ferré later branched out into jewellery, children's wear and a spa venture with British company ESPA. In 2008, Gianfranco Ferré and
Galadari Investment Office announced plans to build a luxurious $1.2 billion tower of at least 60 floors in Dubai in 2011, part of a joint venture for the design and development of real estate.
Production/licenses
Though no longer under production, the Studio .0001 and Forma O were produced by Marzotto, one of the biggest Italian garment manufacturers. The sportswear collections Oaks by Ferré and Ferrejeans used to be manufactured by
Italiana Manifatture S.p.A., but Ferré contracted those lines for the next ten years to Ittiere, who also furnish the bride collections of
Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana (), also known by initials D&G, is an Italian Luxury goods, luxury fashion house founded in 1985 in Legnano by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The house specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories, ...
,
Versace
Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury elite fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as '' haute couture'' under it ...
, and others. The range of licensed products is wide, including shoes, stationery, luggage, home furnishings, and perfumes. The latest addition to this list is the license given to the Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch.
Most of the external licenses were eliminated in 2003, leaving only the Gianfranco Ferre mainline, Ferré diffusion, and GF Ferré younger/activewear labels.
Exports
70% of Ferré sales are achieved in export, where the US appears to be the biggest market with growing importance. Italy still holds 20% of the sales, but the success of the Ferré Jeans business in the US seems to shift the focus here. The Studio .0001 by Ferré line, produced by Italian garment manufacturer
Marzotto, is basically targeted at the US market.
Distribution
Ferré distributes in 17 exclusive boutiques worldwide (1994) and has over 250 sales points in total.
Sports sponsoring
GF Ferré designed the official off-field uniform for Rome-based soccer club
S.S. Lazio for the upcoming 2009-2010 soccer season.
Recognition
Ferré won a number of prestigious awards including the
L'Occhio d'Oro during his career:
[
* Occhio d'Oro Award (six times) for Best Italian Designer
* Gold Medal from the City of Milan
* Commendatore del Ordine decoration from the President of the Italian Republic
* De d'Or (Golden Thimble Award) for his first Dior haute couture collection (1989)
]
Personal life
Ferré appeared to be extremely critical of trends and fashion gimmicks. He dealt with his demanding schedule, being responsible for a French top fashion brand and his own Italian label, by commuting between Milan and Paris in his private plane. Ferré had a lakeside home on the western bank of Lake Maggiore
Lake Maggiore (, ; ; ; ; literally 'greater lake') or Verbano (; ) is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest lake in Italy and the largest in southern Switzerland. The lake and its shoreline are divided be ...
, near Milan.
Death
Ferré died on 17 June 2007. The previous Friday, he had suffered a massive brain haemorrhage. Ferré was hospitalized at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, where he was pronounced dead a few days later.[
Ferré was buried in his home town of Legnano. Fellow designers ]Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani (; born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer and a billionaire. He first gained renown working for Cerruti 1881. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, which eventually expanded into music, sport, and luxury hotels. By 200 ...
, Valentino Garavani
Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani (; born 11 May 1932), known mononymously as Valentino, is an Italian fashion designer, the founder of the Valentino (fashion house), Valentino brand and company. His main lines include Valentino, Valentino G ...
and Donatella Versace attended the service.Fashion icons gather for funeral of designer Ferre
�''Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency ...
'', 19 June 2007.
References
External links
Official website
*
Gianfranco Ferré and the Architecture of Design
New York Observer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferre, Gianfranco
1944 births
2007 deaths
People from Legnano
Fashion designers from Milan
Italian fashion designers
Polytechnic University of Milan alumni
High fashion brands
Clothing brands of Italy
Dior people