The Salvatore Ferragamo Museum's latest exhibit examines sustainable fashion through the lens of his designs.
During my freshman year of college, I was introduced to the concept of sustainable fashion. Before that I had never really considered the scope of the impact the fashion industry has on the environment. I learned about the waste produced by the fast fashion industry and the pollution associated with using synthetic materials. Lasell introduced me a lot about the creative solutions to the growing problem of sustainability in the fashion industry, from innovative textiles to new technology that reduces waste in the production process. Researching sustainability in the fashion industry became one of my passions. I wrote my English 101 paper on the environmental impacts of fast fashion and submitted a scholarship essay about the innovations in sustainable production practices at Nike.
I was so excited when I found out that we would be visiting the Sustainable Thinking exhibit at the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, located in the original building of Ferragamo's workshop in the Palazzo Spini Feroni, for my Visual Merchandising class in Florence. I had always thought of Italian fashion as artisanal, traditional, and high-end. I had never associated the Italian fashion industry with sustainability. Sustainable Thinking at the Ferragamo Museum changed my mind. I learned that Salvatore Ferragamo, an Italian designer that became famous in the 1920s for his comfortable shoe designs, was one of the first designers to use creativity to solve problems in the fashion industry. Ferragamo struggled to gain his footing due to the economic crisis in 1929, which caused material shortages in Italy. Traditional shoe-making materials like leather were rationed and unavailable to the up-and-coming designer.
Where others might have given up, Ferragamo's creativity was fueled by his setbacks. He began to experiment with unconventional materials that were available locally. He made his own leather from animals like fish and toads. He wove candy wrappers together to make tweed material. His most iconic creation utilized a material long grown and used in Italy: cork. In 1937, Ferragamo patented the cork wedge, a creation still worn by women today. I had the amazing opportunity to see Ferragamo's designs, including 77 shoes from the 1930s through the 1940s, at the exhibit. The exhibition examined Ferragamo's sustainable designs made from alternative materials and how they have influenced future generations of fashion designers.
On the Right: Shoes made from Fish Leather
Sustainable Thinking compared Ferragamo's designs to the innovations of today. Like Ferragamo, many modern designers are experimenting with alternative materials that have less of an environmental impact. The exhibition featured a room of innovative sustainable materials. There was faux leather made of apple peels and pineapple which had a pleather-like feel. There were natural fibers like yak fur, which is naturally shed and can be harvested without hurting the animal, and nonviolent silk, in which the cocoon is processed after the worm has left. There were fabrics dyed with graphite from Calabria, Italy to cut down on water waste from the finishing process.
Artemesia by Maria Sole Ferragamo
One room featured a piece by Maria Sole Ferragamo, Salvatore's daughter. The piece is a floor length, netted gown made from shiny bronze leather and is made entirely from leather scraps. Maria Sole is a fashion designer who followed in her father's footsteps by creatively solving problems in the fashion industry. When materials are being cut into patterns, waste is produced in fabric scraps. Across the industry, it is estimated that 10-30% of fabric is wasted as scraps. Maria Sole uses the fabric scraps from Ferragamo, her father's brand, for her designs. The result is beautiful garments that help two businesses move closer to zero waste. I had read about this type of zero waste design before, but getting to see this piece in person really put into perspective how it can be more than just a solution to reducing waste. Using creative solutions can lead to beautiful unexpected results.
"Everyone working in the fashion world has to find innovative solutions to protect and improve the environment. One way of doing this is by using existing resources instead of constantly creating new ones. That's why I use leather scraps for my creations. Because I want to respect nature, the origin of everything that is beautiful" --Maria Sole Ferragamo
Salvatore Ferragamo's Rainbow Sandal, 1938
I learned so much from Ferragamo that has influenced my professional goals. Firstly, the fashion industry has a lot to learn from nature. Innovation for fashion can't be solved solely with tech. Innovations work best when they blend new techniques with natural materials. Next, the industry needs to utilize local resources rather than depending so heavily on global suppliers. Not only is a complicated global supply chain vulnerable to crises, like the Great Depression in Ferragamo's time or the coronavirus pandemic today, but it increases carbon dioxide emissions. Sometimes, the solution is right in front of us and we don't even know it, just like it was with Ferragamo and his cork wedge. We can only move forward if we allow ourselves to break from tradition and explore creative innovations. Possibly the most important thing I learned from this exhibit is that sustainable solutions don’t have to hinder creativity or innovation, in fact, they enhance them. It can be easy to lose hope when you constantly hear about the terrible effects of fashion production and consumption. However, when we are inspired into action rather than discouraged, the results can be beautiful.