Gianfranco Ferre is one of the world's fashion mastodons. He created his brand from scratch and is on a par with such fashion designers as Armani, Versace, Gucci. Together with them, Ferre "made" the fashion of the second half of the 20th century.
Biography: early years
Gianfranco Ferre was born on August 15, 1944 in Lenano. This is a provincial town located in the Italian province of Lambardia. There are many such inconspicuous towns in Italy. His family was very typical of those places. People in such small towns usually made their living as best they could. So, the grandfather of the future fashion designer made bicycles. The family lived well by those standards, despite the post-war period. Ferre tried to adhere to bourgeois values.
His father dreamed that Gianfranco would run the pharmaceutical business, which flourished in those years. And the overly religious aunt wanted her nephew to be a priest. Gianfranco himself then did not think about the future, he just enjoyed a carefree childhood.
When he was 13 years old, his father was gone. This loss was a blow to Gianfranco. After his father's funeral, he immediately "matured", turning from an infantile into a responsible boy.
After leaving school, Ferre left for Milan, where he entered the Polytechnic University in the department of architecture. He became a graduate, and did not even think about the world of fashion then. After graduating from the university, Gianfranco remained to live in Milan, where he began to work in his specialty.
Ferre received good orders, which allowed him to live comfortably in the capital. Like many creative people, he tried to realize himself in other areas. So, in addition to architecture, in his free time he was fond of decor. Gianfranco made original jewelry from pieces of leather, which he later distributed to friends.
Once his work caught the eye of Anna Piaggi, editor-in-chief of the Italian version of the fashion edition of Vogue. She decided to use Ferret's original jewelry for the next magazine photo shoot. This is how Gianfranco received his debut commission as a designer.
Soon, the Limont spouses, who owned the famous Biffi boutiques at that time, asked Ferré to create a collection of leather clothing and accessories especially for their stores. Gianfranco's work was liked not only by boutique owners, but also by customers. He immediately received another large order. After completing it, Ferré decided to leave architecture for the world of fashion.
Career
Having decided to devote himself to the fashion industry, Ferré was in no hurry to create his own brand. The first years he successfully collaborated with popular retail chains who wanted to see original ready-to-wear collections on their hangers.
For a time, Gianfranco was quite pleased with his job and status. He was worried about the creative process, not his own name. In 1974 he changed his mind. This was facilitated by a meeting with the famous Italian businessman Franco Mattioli, who at that time owned such clothing brands as Baila and Dei Mattioli. He suggested that Gianfranco make his own line within the framework of these stamps, in the title of which his name will also be indicated. This is how the Baila by Ferre collection was born.
In 1978, Ferré was “ripe” to create his own fashion house. Barely emerging, fashion house Gianfranco Ferré has had great results in Milan's ready-to-wear week.
Ferre's clothes were markedly different from the collections of other designers. In its creation, the designer was assisted by an architectural education and the skills of an excellent draftsman. Subsequently, Ferre began to be called "the architect of Italian fashion." In his works, color, texture of fabrics and decor, architecture of a cut were combined. At the same time, the clothes turned out to be practical and elegant at the same time. This was the essence of the Gianfranco Ferre phenomenon.
His collection has always been distinguished by an abundance of fabrics and decor. But this has always been strictly within certain boundaries. As a true architect, Ferre always accurately calculated the "allowable loads", "material resistance" and did not forget about the "supporting structures".
In May 1989, the legendary French fashion house Christian Dior invited Gianfranco to his place of art director. At first, the Italian refused, but then agreed. Thus, Gianfranco became the first foreigner to stand at the helm of fashion houses in France. The Christian Dior brand was in deep decline at the time.
Ferret's debut collection for the French house was awarded the prestigious Golden Thimble award. He became the first Italian to achieve such success. Gianfranco worked with the house of Christian Dior for 8 years. He managed to recreate and preserve that elegant chic, which has always been characteristic of things from "Dior". All of his collections for this house were critically acclaimed.
In the mid-nineties, he returned to his native Italy, where he continued to work on his own collections. By that time, his fashion house was on a par with Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace in terms of turnover and popularity.
In 2014, the Gianfranco Ferré brand disappeared from the fashionable Olympus. The Dubai-based Paris Group, which has owned the brand in recent years, announced the closure of the house.
Personal life
Gianfranco Ferre was not married. It is known that he was a gay. He did not advertise his personal life. The designer has no children.
On June 17, 2007, Gianfranco became ill. Prior to that, he suffered two strokes, which seriously undermined his health. The designer was promptly taken to Milan's St. Raphael Hospital, but all resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.
