At Ferragamo, a Message of Freedom and Rebellion
Review of Ferragamo Fall 2025 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
To Dare is to Dance, Heritage Harmonies, Ferragamo’s Florals
Like a broken record, there is no one who attends the month-long fashion season, who isn’t acutely aware of the fact that the luxury industry is going through seismic changes. From political shifts and financial strains knocking the confidence of consumers, can any of the editors, buyers, and clients honestly say that when sitting down to watch a show they are not doing so having already judged what they will see and whether that will mean good or bad news for the designer at the helm?
As many creative directors have found themselves unwittingly navigating a high-stakes game of musical chairs, invited guests – as well as the more toxic, and for better or worse highly influential armchair critics – are failing to judge these collections on their own merits, rather the latest round of sales figures, C-Suite changes or official announcements are colouring their views. It is unfortunate that, as fate would have it, so many talented young designers have earned the opportunity to design for storied houses when market forces outside their control have become a determining factor of whether they get the chance to make a significant impact in an industry that can sometimes feel like an episode of Squid Games.
In acknowledging the state of play in which Maximilian Davis’ sixth (not including pre-seasons) collection as creative director was presented, you could feel that as a designer he is holding steady and choosing to shut out the noise by building his tenure on who and what (specifically the world of dance) has significantly influenced the brand in the past. Even so, it is no easy undertaking to carve out a clear lane of ones own today, even when you are doing all the right things the innate need to compare – to the past, to more accessible brands, to other designers – is a distraction, especially when a silhouette or fabric finish may have been revived from a private clients sketch or a sample that never made it into production.
Three yeas in and today’s fall collection was one of slow and steady forward momentum as Davis’ silhouettes found more freedom. Inspired as they were by the “visual echoes of the 1920s” as read todays show notes, even his signature fitted silhouettes (which continue to draw inspiration from dance) found more freedom as they were rendered in knitted fabrications. Dropped waists which are a reflection of that 1920’s era and a shape that the designer has played with for a few seasons now, were developed in silk chiffons and ‘disturbed’ with an overlay of shearling fur panels! For today the muse was choreographer Pina Bausch, telling The Impression backstage that his reason behind this choice was “for her work, her sense of dressing, and her wardrobe, she was someone who would dress in masculine oversized tailoring, but all of the fabrications were made for comfort, so a wool cashmere or a wool blend and under those wool pieces would be a satin slip”. In her lifetime the German choreographer and the Tanztheater she founded pioneered the inclusion of everyday clothing as costumes (instead of the traditional leggings and leotards) reflecting her own easy style. Thinking on freedom and movement as an unexpected expression of love (which Pina Bausch and the Gerrman Tanztheater were known for) Davis’ use of fluid fabrics became even more integral, as trench coats came in liquified satin, straight-line slip dresses were mixed with delicate lace, and cashmere knits became easy day dresses and dance-adjacent leggings and bodysuits. Freedom also means going hands-free as the utilitarian uniformity of the 1920’s was applied to the iconic ‘Hug’ bag which was doubled and worn across the body as a belt bag, when The Impression asked Davis about the evolution of this key accessory he said “With Pina, she’s German so there is a lot of utilitarian inspiration that falls naturally with her, and we wanted to take one of our pillars, which is the Hug bag and make it more playful, it was a nice way of styling and it made our tailored suits much more interesting.” It is good to know that the designer is finding a sense of levity in his work despite external market forces, and that he is focussed on re-shaping the Ferragamo brand in his vision.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
Thinking about the link between Ferragamo, Pina Bausch and her work, it has always been about romance and relationships, a love and a tension, a tug and a pull. How does that relate to Ferragamo? In Pina’s work she used a lot of flowers and when I went into the archive I was looking for flowers and Ferragamo is known for using flowers as prints, as embroidery, and I also came across shoes with flower details. We really had fun with this collection in terms of details and elevations”
Maximilian Davis, Creative Director, Ferragamo
THE WRAP UP
Speaking backstage, Davis said “In the 20s the silhouette was easy, it was a dropped waist. It was a period where women were rebelling against the norms that were set. They want to be more effortless and easeful and dress for comfort” and in referencing this period of rebellion with confidence the Creative Director may also be taking on the spirit of the times and defiantly doing things at Ferragamo his way, and in that way – whatever the future holds – the designer will know that he never compromised his vision.
