Gianfranco Ferré

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The logos of the three Gianfranco Ferré fashion lines

Gianfranco Ferré [dʒaɱˈfraŋko ferˈre] (born August 15, 1944 in Legnano , † June 17, 2007 in Milan ) was an Italian fashion designer and entrepreneur.

The internationally known fashion company , founded by Ferré in 1978 and named after his full name, continued to exist with Gianfranco Ferré SpA until the brand was discontinued by the then owners in early 2014. The Fondazione Gianfranco Ferré foundation, founded in 2007 by Ferré's brother Alberto Ferré independently of the fashion company, exists to this day to preserve the memory of Gianfranco Ferré's life's work.

life and work

Gianfranco Ferré studied architecture at the Polytechnic University in Milan . In 1969 he completed his studies with a diploma. Although his doctoral thesis (1969) in architecture was awarded summa cum laude , he did not find a job as an architect that suited him .

He initially designed furniture and later fashion for the fashion designers Walter Albini and Christiane Bailly . From 1974 he worked in his own studio in 1978, he presented under the label Gianfranco Ferré his first ready-to-wear - collection for men, the designs evident from his travels in the Orient were affected. In 1982 a men's collection followed in natural tones and made of valuable fabrics, in 1986 a haute couture collection for women ( Gianfranco Ferré Couture ) and in 1987 the second line Ferré Studio 000.1 . As early as the mid-1980s, Ferré's fashion company was "one of the most successful and well-known Italian fashion companies". In 1984 the first women's perfume was launched under the name Gianfranco Ferré , followed by the men 's equivalent of the same name in 1986 . Classics are still the following fragrances, GF Ferré (women and men, 2004) and Ferré (women 2005, men 2007).

From 1989 to 1997 Ferré was signed by Bernard Arnault at LVMH as artistic director of women's fashion for the Christian Dior company . From 1997 he started designing fashion collections, perfume, accessories , shoes, umbrellas , watches , ties and thermos flasks with clear lines and loving details , exclusively under his own name . From the 1990s the Ferré portfolio was expanded and numerous collections for women and men were created. a. the ready-to-wear line Ferré (later renamed Ferré Milano ) with further sub-collections for fur fashion ( Ferré Fur , discontinued) or for the fuller lady (initially Forma 0 by GFF, later Ferré Red , discontinued), furthermore in 1995 the youthful Second line GFF (replaced by the GF Ferré label in 2004 ) and the Gianfranco Ferré Jeans denim collection in 1996 (discontinued). In 2000 a collection for children, Gianfranco Ferré Junior (discontinued?), Was added.

In 2002 Ferré sold his company after two years of negotiations for € 181.8 million to the Italian fashion group Gruppo Tonino Perna and its IT Holding , to which the Ferré brand belonged until 2010. Ferré continued to work as chief designer. Gianfranco Ferré was known, among other things, for his elegant evening gowns, for the use of furs in his collections and for his variations of the simple, white women’s blouse and the white men’s shirt.

Alongside Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace, Ferré was one of the Italian fashion designers who from the 1970s onwards helped Milan to establish itself as an important fashion capital through the Milan Fashion Weeks. Ferré's external trademark was his white beard and brown round glasses . Because of his studies he was often called the "architect of fashion". Ferré has received numerous awards for his fashion, including the Occhio d'Oro (awarded six times), the German Fashion Prize (1985) and several times the Oscar della Moda of the Italian textile industry. In 1986, Ferré was awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic as Commendatore . In 2004 Ferré was responsible for the fashion show as part of the Vienna Life Ball .

Personal

Ferré suffered from diabetes and, on medical advice, did not want to change his diet. When he went to the hospital on June 15, 2007 with health problems, he had already had two strokes . His condition deteriorated rapidly and on June 17, 2007 Gianfranco Ferré died of complications from a cerebral hemorrhage in the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan. On June 14th, Ferré gave a lecture on fashion and design at his former university, the Politecnio. Just a few days after his death, his team showed the men's collection he designed for spring and summer 2008 in Milan. Towards the end of the fashion show, small children in white shirts for adults strolled down the catwalk as a tribute to the late Ferré. And when the catwalk remained empty where the designers usually bow to the audience, the audience lingered in a standing ovation . His last drafts for the women's collection were also presented in September 2007.

Succession and bankruptcy

Ferré's direct successor as the label's creative director was the Swedish designer Lars Nilsson from 2007 , who had previously worked for Chanel , Christian Lacroix , Christian Dior , Polo Ralph Lauren and Nina Ricci . He was replaced in 2008 by the design duo Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi, who had previously worked for Prada , Max Mara and Malo and continued the Ferrés-style collections until 2011.

In February 2009 the owner of Gianfranco Ferré, Ittierre SpA , as part of the Italian IT Holding , filed for bankruptcy and continued to operate in bankruptcy proceedings until mid-2010. Gianfranco Ferré's Spring / Summer 2011 collection was presented on June 20, 2010 at the Milan fashion shows . At the beginning of November 2010, the Italian Ministry of Economic Development announced that the Gianfranco Ferré brand would be bought by a consortium (consisting of the South Korean Samsung Group , the Greek Salmar Shipping and an anonymous Swiss businessman) around the US private equity firm Prodos Capital . At the end of 2010 it was announced that the takeover by Prodos would not take place due to differences between the consortium members. The men's fashion show in January 2011 for the winter 2011/12 season was canceled and the models were presented in the studio instead. The catwalk presentation of Ferré men's fashion in mid-2010 for the summer 2011 season was the last so far.

The Ferré brand until 2014

In February 2011, Gianfranco Ferré announced that it would be taken over by the Arab licensee and clothing retailer Paris Group from Dubai . The company headquarters remained in Milan. In April 2011, Aquilano and Rimondi were sacked by the new Ferré owners, Paris Group, due to poor sales and replaced in June 2011 with former Byblos designers Stefano Citron and Federico Piaggi, who were to continue fashion with modern interpretations of Ferré's legacy. In mid-2011 the company launched the men's version of the women's fragrance Mood for Love , which was launched in 2009 . Citron and Piaggi left Ferré at the end of 2013.

At the beginning of 2012 there were unsuccessful attempts by the Italian insolvency administrators in court to have the company Gianfranco Ferré confiscated because they feared that Paris Group would operate the traditional brand as a mere licensed brand in the Middle East. At least with Ferré women's fashion, the company was continuously represented at the Milan women's fashion weeks every season until the end of 2013. Men's fashion has been put on hold.

In mid-2012, Paris Group denied rumors that Gianfranco Ferré's headquarters would be relocated from Milan to Dubai and announced the opening of a new Ferré flagship store in Milan for 2012. Gianfranco Ferré SpA was dissolved at the end of 2012 and integrated into the Paris Group, based in Sharjah . At the end of 2013, the previous company headquarters, Palazzo Ferré in Via Pontaccio in Milan, was sold to the Italian fashion company Kiton. At the beginning of 2014, due to high losses with the Ferré brand, Paris Group announced the complete withdrawal from the Italian market, the closure of the production facilities and the closure of the remaining boutiques. The website has been temporarily deleted. The rights to the Ferré brand remain with the Paris Group in Dubai.

Most recently, the Ferré company offered three collections, each for women and men:

  • the high-priced Gianfranco Ferré catwalk collection
  • the fashionable bridge collection Ferré Milano
  • the young second line and licensed brand GF Ferré

There were numerous Gianfranco Ferré and separate Ferré Milano boutiques in Europe , the USA , Asia , Russia and the Middle East , some of which were run under license.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ FAZ: F for Ferré (September 24, 2007)
  2. ↑ IT Holding: Offering Memorandum: Acquisition of the Ferré Group (p.45) ( Memento of the original from January 25, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (March 16, 2005) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.itholding.it
  3. ^ Süddeutsche Zeitung: Fashion architect Gianfranco Ferré dies (June 18, 2007)
  4. ↑ Youtube: FTV.com - GIANFRANCO FERRE 'ֹ UOMO P / E-2008 Milano (video)
  5. ↑ Die Welt: Youngsters should save the fashion brand Ferré (August 17, 2008)
  6. ↑ Elle: The architect Gianfranco Ferré (accessed: May 14, 2011)
  7. ↑ Handelsblatt: No more money for luxury (February 11, 2009)
  8. ↑ Reuters (ital.): Ferré e Ittierre, ministero firma cessione ( Memento of the original of November 18, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (November 10, 2010) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / borsaitaliana.it.reuters.com
  9. ↑ Reuters: US company to buy distressed Ferre fashion house (November 10, 2010)
  10. ↑ Textile industry: Gianfranco Ferré: Sale failed (December 29, 2010)
  11. ↑ Financial Times: Paris Group plans expansion for Gianfranco Ferré (February 25, 2011)
  12. ↑ Arabian Business: Dubai retailer to take over debt-hit Ferre fashion house (February 8, 2011)
  13. ^ The National: Paris Group to buy Gianfranco Ferré (February 10, 2011)
  14. ↑ Teh Guardian: Milan fashion week: Investor rescues Gianfranco Ferré label at last minute (February 25, 2011)
  15. ↑ Deutsche Vogue: Fashion News: Gianfranco Ferré (April 20, 2011)
  16. ↑ Ferré relies on Stefano Citron and Federico Piaggi , textilwirtschaft.de, September 26, 2011
  17. ↑ Ferrè loses design chiefs ( Memento of the original from January 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , textilwirtschaft.de, December 13, 2013 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.textilwirtschaft.de
Obituaries
personal data
SURNAME Ferré, Gianfranco
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian fashion designer and entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH August 15, 1944
PLACE OF BIRTH Legnano
DATE OF DEATH June 17, 2007
Place of death Milan