Parties You Will Never Get Into

Salvatore Ferragamo celebrated its 80th anniversary on March 28, 2008 in a perfect venue – Shanghai, China. Salvatore Ferragamo Italia is an Italian fashion house that was founded by Salvatore Ferragamo in 1928. Aside from selling footwear, the company presently sells a wide range of fashion line from ready-to-wear clothing, leather goods, handbags, watches, and fragrances to jewelry, eyewear, scarves and ties. Ferragamo’s family led by Wanda Ferragamo, the company’s honorary president and wife of the late shoe designer Salvatore Ferragamo, chose Shanghai, China as the ideal place since the country and the city itself are both rich in history and tradition. She further stressed that they presented for the first time an exhibit on the business, its identity, innovations and values, instead of focusing on Salvatore as the man.

The grand celebration was commenced with a retrospective, Salvatore Ferragamo: Evolving Legend 1928-2008, held at the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) which featured the shoe designer’s 300 special creations that came with original sketches and patents. Guests at the MOCA included celebrities who flew in just for the event including Christina Ricci, Ginnifer Goodwin, Melissa George, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and January Jones. Other celebrities spotted were Chinese actress Ziyi Zhang, Hong Kong actors Karen Mok and Tony Leung, and several Asian personalities.

In addition to its celebration, a fashion show and an after party were then held in two large halls at the Shanghai International Ferry Terminal in the Hongkou District. The company designed the place to bear a resemblance to Ferragamo’s label headquarters, the Palazzo Spini Feroni in Florence. The venue was a terrific spot as it stood on the banks of the beautiful Huangpu River. The fashion show featured Ferragamo’s 2008 Fall/Winter Collections and it also began its launch for the new Tuscan Soul fragrance along with watches for men and women. The show was opened and closed by outstanding performances from Italian ballet dancer Roberto Bolle, who also presently endorses the company’s watch collection. Adding more style to the party were some fireworks from across the river and a cruising barge that has a huge LCD screen flashing the brand’s advertisements including its Spring 2008 campaign.

More on Salvatore Ferragamo’s 80th anniversary.