Salvatore Ferragamo launches a series of collaborations with international artists. Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day are the first two chapters of a multimedia journey, a creative patchwork of different cultures and visions.
The first two chapters are the Chinese New Year and the Valentine’s Day. For the Chinese New Year, Ferragamo invited London-based illustrator Charlotte Mei, for a digital project that celebrates the Year of the Ox and exclusive products to celebrate this date. For Valentine’s Day, Ferragamo brought in Italian sculptor Davide Ronco, the American collage artist Johanna Goodman, Turkish digital artist Mert Keskin, Dutchwoman Ruth van Beek and again to Charlotte Mei to create a series of multimedia works that will appear in the Patchwork campaign of Love.
Chinese New Year 2021 – WHAT MAKES YOU NIU?
The focal point of the Chinese New Year project is the digital campaign titled “What Makes You NIU? ” in which artist and illustrator Charlotte Mei is invited to create a series of collages and illustrations photographic. “Niu” is the pronunciation of the word “beef” in Chinese, and also a chinglish neologism for a person capable, tenacious and daring. With the celebratory aesthetic of the Year of the Ox, the campaign conveys the NIU message! through a series of high-impact editorial images and illustrations that highlight the exclusive selection of products for the Chinese New Year.
Inspiration includes 70s Pop Art and Roy Lichtenstein, right down to cartoon heroes. A
visual storytelling designed to inject the energy of NIU! in the Ferragamo community, called to speak out and to interact with the brand to define this great concept. This is an opportunity to reflect on what makes us inspires to live as the best version of ourselves.
Chinese New Year Collection:
For her, the pure silk scarves feature the zodiac sign of the Ox in a floral patchwork embellished with rich Chinese iconography. This iconic motif is also used on the iconic Viva bag
Bow and on Viva shoes to recreate a sophisticated combo. For him, black and gold for the moccasin, sneakers and slippers – gold is a fundamental element for the sign of the Ox. These colors are also present on the leather goods in a selection which includes wallets, briefcases, pouches and shoulder bags, characterized by the Gancini pattern in relief. The Chinese New Year look is completed with three special belts with double Gancini buckles, the Ferragamo bestsellers, always in black and gold.
Valentine’s Day – LOVE PATCHWORK
The journey continues with another chapter, Valentine’s Day. Ferragamo invited 5 artists to interpret the idea Patchwork of Love, bringing together all the results in a narration which, also thanks to its colors contrasting, is very expressive and represents the contemporaneity of love: different elements clash to create a new whole, a dissimilarity which is only apparently impossible to distil.
Valentine’s Day collection:
For her, the Vara bag in red fabric, while the golden metal buckle of the iconic bow is reworked
heart-shaped. The Vara shoes have a trompe-l’oeil upper with a mermaid effect in satin, inspired by a model from the archival, or silk with a contrasting crystal border. The small matching leather goods are fun and romantic. For him, the accessories follow the theme of black and red: the 3D textured wallet bears the Gancini logo. For shoes, moccasins and sneakers have a Gancini pattern all over their surface. The essentials are belts with buckles to be personalized with initials and symbols. The range is completed by the dopp kit, the red fabric tie with heart and the bracelet with metal closure.
Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day are part of a colorful, strong and vibrant journey that embraces other projects in a creative synthesis of different cultures, traditions and media and which reinforces a message important: creativity brings us together because its energy generates sensory connections that go beyond beyond the physical barriers of place and time.
