Maximilian Davis - Designer, Creative Director of Ferragamo

[FashionPower]

Prices are too high and too close to other more recognizable / premium brands, simple as that.
Unless you really like Davis' designs, no way someone is gonna spend up to 3k for a bag when they can get an alternative from more renown brands from LVMH or Kering.
A Gancini male loafer is 730 Eur, a Gucci horsebit is 890 Eur. Both share similar design, craftmanship, raw material and heritage (both designs are brand staples), Ferragamo is roughly 18% cheaper than the Gucci one, however Gucci is the most famous brand from Kering while Ferragamo is a niche brand at least...
Situation is not gonna improve unless prices difference towards premium brands go up to 30% (even 50%).

 

[Vikingtop]

What would be a good price for his offerings at ferragamo?

 

[fashionmarketeditor]

His CEO Marco Gobbetti is leaving in March, just announced.

 

[ellearchivist]

First then CEO then Max.

 

[Lola701]

Oh they are both leaving. Maximillian was appointed in March 2022. It will make 3 years.

 

[proseccotabis]

Oh they are both leaving. Maximillian was appointed in March 2022. It will make 3 years.

thank GOD. about time

 

[Lola701]

thank GOD. about time

He is a talent.
I hope he will have another opportunity.
But Ferragamo is a lost cause.

 

[Phuel]

However one may think of Maximillian, Ferragamo is superior in craftsmanship and material quality than current-era Gucci. By leagues. Gucci’s staples have becom so inferior it’s insulting; their men’s traditional classic footwear is on the quality-level of a $200USD American brand— if I’m being generous. While Ferragamo’s classic men’s footwear is at least faithful to the standards of highend bespoke cobblers, in general. Unfortunate that the casual fashion tourist shopping at the outlet conclave will gravitate towards Gucci like mindless moths to a cheap, artificial flame. (Although even the fashion sheep are complaining of how cheap-looking that awful red bag looks LMFAO)

And unfortunate that his rather timid debut at Ferragamo teetered on uncertainty in design rather than a consistent confidence, only enhanced by identity-politics of his celeb supporters. He does possess talent, but he needs a smaller but fabled brand that would afford him time away from the pressures of the demands of corporate bluechips. No idea what brand that may be, as they're all plagued by corporate greed to maximize profits while minimizing quality.

 

[Olaffo]

Gobetti should be banned from any C-suite position for the rest of his life. Keeping fingers crossed for Maximilian at Jil!

 

[proseccotabis]

He is a talent.
I hope he will have another opportunity.
But Ferragamo is a lost cause.

you are right!
Perhaps it is the very fact that Ferragamo is dragging him down that does not allow observers like me to see his true talent

 

[PDFSD]

oh my he is maybe one finger above ancora boy with talent lets not get ahead of ourselves .....the designs have been phoebe meets TF meets NG Jil wanna be etc

his lack of direction is not Ferragamo nor ceo dragging him down ....creative ideas are his and vision or lack of it is his lets call a spade a spade

if the designs were compelling people would flock to pay for the over priced merch this has always been the case with Cd´s that created hype around there rebranding of a brand

he did not create a vision that bridge the old and new instead he went all hard core minimal sexy and no weight to his point of view because there are to many brands doing the same thing

people want to show they like him because he is sadly one of few poc cd around but so there is a lot of good will publicly towards him, but even the black usa fashion powers don't organically buy and flaunt his stuff because its just not cool enough as like a BV or Balenciaga would be etc in their hype days.

 

[FashionPower]

The way they could get Hedi and it wouldn't change anything with those prices, check my December post.
Scale down the business and reduce the prices and then we're talking.

 

[tourbillions]

after seasons, ancora might have a bit more focus in collections than max. His collections are all over the place and i cant remember anything. Atleast ancora i remember those ugly platform loafers and the tiny shorts paired with a jacket.

 

[Frederic01]

Ferragamo in the year 2025 is irrelevant. I don't know why they even bother to try and make this brand "a thing". It's a pointless exercise.

 

[vetements]

Ferragamo in the year 2025 is irrelevant. I don't know why they even bother to try and make this brand "a thing". It's a pointless exercise.

I only remember that rather dramatic all-red runway venue during his debut which I quite like. But I never think his bags were good looking, with the slanted shapes or whatever strange colors (vermillion? or something like that). Sorry but I dont feel much about Maximillian Davis leaving, but he is young, so he has plenty of time. Tribulations like this are sometimes good and hey, he had a shot at a big brand.

 

[Phuel]

The way they could get Hedi and it wouldn't change anything with those prices, check my December post.
Scale down the business and reduce the prices and then we're talking.

Hedi would would turn Ferragamo straw to gold by just copy-and-paste his Celine wholesale.... (Sadly, he'd never resurrect the classic Ferragamo logo. Instead, it's classic Helvetica again LMFAO)

For a still bluechip(ish) legacy brand, scaling down and reducing their pricepoint would be brand suicide— unless the strategy is to create a “SF" diffusion line like Michael Kors' “MK", and gradually eliminate the mainline into the increasingly profitable consumer/budget line as Kors has done. Or, go the way of Marc Jacobs and showcase well-made but silly costume fodder for socials/editorials to push basic totes onto gen z/gen alpha sheep with a very limited shelf-date profit.

And although this brand has never had the sort of cultural resonance and even fashion relevance of a brand like Gucci ever in its past, there’s so much potential still. Unfortunate that at this point of the fashion mentality, CEOs would rather install a hype-y, buzzy, socials-popular lesser than a seasoned experience/skills/creative /talent as CD. Peter Copping installed at Lanvin; Haider at Tom Ford; Sarah at Givenchy--, all a hopeful step in the right direction. Perhaps all boring candidates to some, but these are dressmakers and tailors at their core, and I’ll gladly take that anytime, anyday, anywhere to stunt casting for likes/follows. I still don’t know why Sabato was chosen, as he has neither the experience/skills/creative talent— nor the charm, presence, style, popularity...

 

[Xone]

I think the brand have cultural importance during it history and they don’t take advantage of that, they just want to ne cool also the constant drama inside and the lack of vision made it a mess…the family is the big problem so no matter who cames in unless family is gone is not going to change the situation.

The ss25 is a mess…you can mix this woth ancora with little bally with ferrari and there you go….

The quality products indeed are very good.

Time for the next CD i guess, so fw25 will be his last show.

 

[tourbillions]

they need to refocus their brand back to what they were doing before, nothing wrong catering to the asian aunties who love ferragamo (i know theres a lot of them). They have the buying power and liked the simple luxury the old ferragamo offered. Not everything has to be young and cool, even gen z people will soon need to buy their first "luxury" business dress shoe or will be attending their first wedding and will need a good pair of leather shoes. And when i think of ferragamo, that's what is in my mind. Everyones first dress shoe for men bought by their mom who wears their ferragamo bags and shoes for their everyday tasks.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ Interestingly, the brand may not have forgotten, or forsaken its Asian customer— in an off-handed, afterthought kind of way: Maximillian and Ferragamo were strategically featured in the high profile fashion titles Vogue/Bazaar/Elle/Marie Claire et. But unfortunately, he was installed at the time when “inclusivity and diversity” oftentimes, if not all the time, excluded Asian representation LMFAO

So not sure if being more blatant to catering to the brand’s Asian support would have secured Maximillian’s stay. If that were the case, then the majority of brands would need to feature a predominantly Asian representation in their shows and campaigns, as well as a more conservative approach to design. Ferragamo, like so many other brands, attemtepd to cultivate a new ideal but phantom customer rather than building upon their existing customer that supported them. It’s this weird strategy of rejecting/dismissing/taking for granted whom has always supported your brand, in hopes of cultivating a younger, supposedly cooler following by catering to the ideal aesthetic and appeal of that demographic. The problem is that for all the likes/follows/praise on socials— and dressing some celebs (Whom never pay for their pieces) in your wears, it’s a demographic that’s not willing to spend on your brand. Or can afford it LOOL

Maximillian’s early Ferragamo offerings were awful: 90s highend department-store replicas; the campaigns were juvenile, amateur copies of 90s ads; and the casting was eye-rolling headcounts. But he did learn quickly, and he did improve fast, both as a designer and a CD. His last offerings as separates are solid, both in design and quality. And I like his quiet demeanour. Unfortunately it was too little, too late. Had he started with how he finished in his last year, he and Ferragamo would have stood a fighting chance to remain secured. And maybe even as a successful insiders’ brand of choice. Because who the fcuk wants to wear Prada nowadays but Jake Paul???