When it comes to a history of innovation in design and beauty, few brands in the world can stand with Ferrari, but as seen at a dazzling fashion show in Florence, LuisaViaRoma is one of them
Florence has been synonymous with beauty and cutting-edge design since Brunelleschi engineered its cathedral dome in the 15th century. It was reinforced as a crucible of craftsmanship during Hollywood’s golden age, when Salvatore Ferragamo established his workshop in the Via Mannelli and made shoes and accessories for the most iconic of leading ladies.
It remains a destination for tastemakers, and for over 100 years there’s been a family-run concept store on the Via Roma stocking the latest street styles and high fashion from around the world – LuisaViaRoma.
Ferrari presented two looks: a black coat with embroidered sleeves and a carbon fibre skirt with black top
“Artistry and craftsmanship are the lifeblood of Florence,” he says. “This city gave birth to the Italian Renaissance and has made its mark on fashion history as the home of notable brands. LuisaViaRoma represents Italian excellence and with an international eye. It’s the story of a small family business that became a major player in the luxury industry as an expert curator. It’s an enterprise that has always been the epitome of innovation, and also technology and sustainability.”
On June 14 of this month, the store – founded by Frenchwoman Luisa Jaquin in 1920 – collaborated with British Vogue in hosting the ‘Runway Icons Show’, an historic, one-off fashion extravaganza featuring 50 international brands coming together on one catwalk, with artistic direction from editor-in-chief Edward Enninful.
The open-air show, which took place in the Piazzale Michelangelo, with its panoramic vista of the medieval city below, featured brands, from established maisons to emerging designers, with each showing looks that reflect their heritage and evolving direction. Ferrari was among them, revealing the brand’s most emblematic fashion pieces in two eye-catching looks, which involved a selection of the most iconic pieces from the first fashion show presented in Maranello in June 2021 until the last one held in Milan in February 2023.
Ferrari's Creative Director Rocco Iannone welcomed some famous faces to get a sneak preview of the show including supermodel Winnie Harlow and singer Mahmood
Ferrari also have a special pop-up presence inside the LuisaViaRoma store to showcase its SS23 apparel and accessories collection and the automotive art pieces that inspire it. In fact, Ferrari customers and friends, including Italian singer Mahmood and Canadian supermodel Winnie Harlow, enjoyed an advance preview and aperitivo on LuisaViaRoma’s private rooftop.
The main SS23 collection pillars are workwear, which is coupled with tailoring and the denim canvas treated with ‘in-progress’ spray-dyeing techniques. Artistic graffiti appears on silk digital prints and jacquard weavings as processes never fully completed, using mixtures of colours in-progress.” Green featured in the last collection – known to symbolise rebirth.
In FW23/24 we can expect pink, symbolic of Ferrari’s growth and nurture. It’s a prelude to Ferrari’s fully-formed and celebrated Rosso Corsa. Iannone says the paler hue is a respectful acknowledgment towards the fashion industry, from which many of its global mavens will be present in Florence.
Ferrari's special pop-up store inside LuisaViaRoma was the perfect place to show off their SS23 apparel and accessories along with the automotive inspiration behind them
“We are on a journey and we have appreciated that the fashion industry recognises that we are building, show after show and collection after collection, a creative vision which is consistent with Ferrari’s automotive aesthetic, lexicon and universe, and which affirms, at the same time, its own identity and credibility.”
In terms of what is to come, Iannone adds: “The next FW collection explores the specific meaning of beauty in the Ferrari universe: The beauty of motion as it transitions, changes and accelerates.”
In the LuisaViaRoma store and on the runway in the Piazzale Michelangelo, away from the road and the race track, Ferrari will momentarily bring to life a universe that encapsulates Ferrari’s DNA, but which is designed to hang not in a garage but a wardrobe. It’s a vision of heritage and growth, of forward-thrust and lane changing.