Culture & Community

THE COMPANY THAT CARES
ABOUT ITS TERRITORY
AND COMMUNITY

Salvatore Ferragamo was one of the first to realize that fashion, art, and culture are intimately connected. Over the years, the Company has acted on its Founder's insight, dedicating considerable attention and resources to cultural initiatives in order to promote art in all its forms.
The commitment to the community where it operates is reflected also in the social initiatives in which the Group actively participates.

SUPPORTING
ART

Right from the start, Salvatore Ferragamo has constantly interfaced with the world of art and culture. A relationship driven over time also by artistic patronage programs aimed at promoting culture and safeguarding Italy’s artistic heritage, and in particular that of Florence. This approach encompasses the new, multiannual agreement signed in 2019 with the City of Florence, which includes the restoration of sculptural groups such as the equestrian statue of Cosimo I de’ Medici by Giambologna in Piazza della Signoria, the Hercules and Cacus by Baccio Bandinelli and the copy of Michelangelo’s David at the entrance of Palazzo Vecchio, the copy of Judith and Holofernes on the “Arengario” platform of Palazzo Vecchio, and the bronze copy of David at Piazzale Michelangelo.

Over the years, Salvatore Ferragamo’s charitable contributions have allowed: the restoration of the Fountain of Neptune in Piazza della Signoria in Florence, which was returned to its original splendor; the reopening of 8 rooms of the Uffizi Gallery, containing approximately fifty major works of art from 15th-century Florence, as well as the renovation of Florence’s Colonna della Giustizia in Piazza Santa Trinita and Santa Trinita Bridge, the renovation of the Campatelli Tower-House, a mid-12th century architectural masterpiece owned by Fondo Ambiente Italiano (FAI, Italy’s National Trust) and located in San Gimignano, and the curation of the exhibition of Leonardo’s Saint Anne painting, usually on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

In 2019, the strong relationship between the City of Florence and Salvatore Ferragamo has been celebrated at the crossroads of Ponte Vecchio, Via dei Bardi and Via Guicciardini, in the heart of Florence, where Salvatore and Wanda Ferragamo were honored with the inauguration of “Piazzetta Salvatore e Wanda Ferragamo”.

SUSTAINABLE THINKING

The commitment towards sustainability has been reinforced in 2019 with the launch of the Sustainable Thinking project, which included exhibitions and side events involving the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, the Company and other local public institutions. The aim of the project was to offer up food for thought on such an important issue for the future and put forward suggestions for a paradigm shift in the world of fashion, art and architecture. It included an exhibition at the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo and other prestigious venues in Florence, such as Palazzo Vecchio, the city hall, and the Museo Novecento. There were also conferences and workshops led by artists, designers, and architects. The day before the exhibition opened, a major Symposium was held at the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio, organized by key figures on the topic of sustainability. This was a unique opportunity to understand the meaning of the word sustainability, how companies’ business models are changing, and where we are with research to improve our environment. In keeping with the main message conveyed, the Sustainable Thinking exhibition obtained ISO 20121:2012 certification, which establishes Management System prerequisites for the sustainable organization of events.

≈ 35,000

T-SHIRTS MADE FOR CORRI LA VITA

OVER 17,000

VISITORS TO THE SETA EXHIBITION IN 2021

€ 1.5 mln

DONATED TO THE MEYER FOUNDATION

OVER 30,000

ITEMS AND MODELS CATALOGUED IN THE HISTORICAL ARCHIVES

SHARING VALUE

Over the years, Salvatore Ferragamo has been devoted to initiatives and partnerships dedicated to women’s and children’s health.

Caring deeply about these issues, in 2019 Salvatore Ferragamo launched an initiative with the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, an excellence of Italian Hospitals, supporting by means of a donationnd the clinical work and research of two young female researchers specializing in Medical Oncology and Hematology at the Lymphoma Unit.

Furthermore, in 2020, an important five-year collaboration project was launched with the Meyer Foundation of the Meyer Children’s Hospital in Florence, an outstanding center for pediatric research and treatment. The collaboration envisages the Company’s support for the Hospital’s newborn screening activities. Salvatore Ferragamo’s support has allowed the Meyer Foundation to achieve two of its objectives: the support for the research activities of the Newborn Screening Laboratory, with the purchase of a mass spectrometer and the actualization of a substantial investment on the clinical development of pediatric cardiology, with the arrival of a high-end echocardiograph and an MRI upgrade.

In addition, in favor of women's health, Ferragamo continues to support as main sponsor “Corri la Vita”, the charitable sporting event held in Florence to support non-profit projects for national health facilities specializing in the treatment of breast cancer through psychological aid, physical and social rehabilitation, prevention, training, and palliative care.