Ferragamo Explores 1920s Speakeasy Culture for Fall/Winter 2026
Maximilian Davis subverts nautical uniforms and vintage eveningwear for his latest collection.
Summary
- Maximilian Davis explores the 1920s speakeasy scene and the foundational era of the house
- The collection contrasts subverted sailor uniforms with utilitarian attire and liberated vintage eveningwear
- Archival footwear techniques like the shell sole and a 1954 flat inform modernized shoe silhouettes
For the Ferragamo Fall/Winter 2026 collection, Maximilian Davis continues to explore the 1920s, examining the period of the brand’s inception. The speakeasy returns as a focal point and a locus of liberation where conventions of class and identity are disrupted.
A foundational motif of the collection is the clothing of sailors, honoring those who crossed the water to discover new beginnings, an experience shared by both Salvatore Ferragamo and Davis’s own family. Sailor uniforms are subverted and deconstructed through displaced buttons and undone fastenings. The wardrobe reimagines fabrication with nautical knitwear needle-punched with chiffon and workwear parkas crafted in textured nappa with shearling-lined hoods.
Utilitarian garments intermingle with the liberated elegance of 1920s eveningwear. The seasonal offering includes slip dresses realized in foiled velvet lamé and floral jacquard, alongside cocooning outerwear layered over long-line gowns. Influenced by loosely Cubist watercolors and sepia-toned Surrealist photography, the color palette appears tinted by time, utilizing garment-dyed organic cotton canvases, garment-dyed recycled nylons, and aero sprayed quilted leathers. Davis describes the aesthetic as viewing vibrant historical moments through the haze of history.
Footwear offerings bridge the past and present, punctuated by polished Gancini hardware. A new pointed stiletto and a sling-back shoe feature a deep vamp inspired by a flat designed by Salvatore Ferragamo in 1954. The 1950s “shell sole” technique informs the curvilinear details of new sandals that hybridize with a wedge silhouette. Menswear shoes reconsider formal Oxfords with elongated proportions and apron-stitched toes, joining a monk style fastened with a Hug closure and a minimalist bootie. Accessory updates introduce a slim, graphic new bag silhouette fastened with a Gancini plate in three sizes, an East-West proportion of the Hug bag in new colorways, and a men’s utilitarian cross-body pocket bag alongside a woven calf leather Hug pouch.
