'Rebirth' is really a trend this season. The fall fashion season is officially underway, and Italian luxury house Ferragamo manages to stage the most stunning campaign yet. Renaissance artworks – including pieces by Sandro Botticelli, Francesco Granacci and Giovanni Bellini – are featured in the ads. The historic Florence-based brand has partnered with the world-famous Uffizi Gallery, which opened its doors to the public in 1769, to create stunning images.
It's a shocking collaboration and a prime example of art overcoming fashion. Photographer Tyler Mitchell took the images, which sumptuously evoke the beauty and ideals of the Renaissance (and yes, the settings are incomparable). Part of the series is also based on Richard Avedon's photographs of the Andy Warhol with a depiction of Mitchell documenting the catalog in outfits ranging from minimalist chic to nuovo-disco glam. Among the models are musician Kelela and sound artist Yasmina Dexter.
The nine Renaissance masterpieces presented are “Annunciation” by Alesso Baldovinetti (1457), “Sacred Allegory” by Giovanni Bellini (1490–1500), “Annunciation” by Paolo Veronese (1570–75), “Joseph Going to Prison” by Francesco Granacci (1515), “Portrait of Alessandro de Medici” by Giorgio Vasari (1534), “Portrait of a Man with the Medal of Cosimo the Elder (1475), by Botticelli, “The Annunciation of San Martino alla Scala” (1481), by Botticelli, and “Diptych of Federico da Montefeltro and Battista Sforza” (1467–1472), by Piero della Francesca.
Ferragamo itself is experiencing a renaissance. It caused a sensation in 2022 when it was announced that 22-year-old Manchester-born Maximilian Davis would take the reins as creative director of the nearly century-old brand. It was part of a series of Gen Z engagements at fashion houses. Davis did an exemplary job, respecting house codes, modernizing and deeply reinvigorating his vision.
In a statement, Davis said: “The Renaissance is connected to Florence, and Florence is connected to Ferragamo. At this time of the house's fresh start, it made perfect sense to claim the birthplace of the Renaissance as our spiritual home and take advantage of the deep artistic spirit of this city to present the new collection.”
Source: Artnet News