With Ferragamo’s Viva pumps a Gen Z must-have shoe, creative director Paul Andrew gives the Italian luxury brand a gender-neutral, eco-friendly update
At Ferragamo, Paul Andrew combines the brand’s exquisite Italian craftsmanship with a hi-tech and sustainable approach for a new generation of fans
The winter in Beijing is crisply freezing. Salvatore Ferragamo’s creative director Paul Andrew has just flown in from Milan and has arrived at the historic Zhizhu Temple, a heritage site in the centre of the Chinese capital that was built in 1756.
In front of us, Ferragamo’s new spring/summer collections for both men and women are on display. Sleek lines and soft silhouettes use a refreshingly delightful colour palette that is reminiscent of the Mediterranean Sea. The modernism of the designs forms a mesmerising contrast with the traditional red-brick Chinese courtyard architecture housing them.
Andrew’s 2019 collections were well received by Chinese consumers. As sales in the second quarter of 2019 increased three months in a row from April to June, primarily driven by Chinese shoppers, the 93-year-old brand – which also welcomed a new CEO, Micaela Le Divelec Lemmi, in 2018 – finally saw a recovery from the downward trend of previous years.
The seed was planted in 2016, when Salvatore Ferragamo appointed Andrew as women’s footwear design director, putting him in charge of a category that contributes over 50 per cent of the company’s revenues. The move made a perfect pairing, given that the two names were both founded on the heel of shoes.
Born in 1979 in England, Andrew established himself in both London and New York, working with celebrated designers including Alexander McQueen, Narciso Rodriguez, Calvin Klein and Donna Karan, and designing both men’s and women’s shoes. He later founded his eponymous footwear business in New York, offering customers a meld of chicness, elegance and comfort. In 2019, Andrew dropped his personal line to devote himself fully to Ferragamo.
His career trajectory with Ferragamo was a fast and steady ascent. After kicking off with shoes in 2016, he was named women’s creative director in October 2017. In February 2019, he was promoted to overseeing the 360-degree creative direction of the Italian label.
“My design approach is always from toe to head,” Andrew explains. “Being a creative director of Ferragamo is quite fortunate because we have an amazing archive of over 15,000 shoes.”
