For Ferragamo Fall Winter 2025 collection, Maximilian Davis expands his exploration of dance, drawing inspiration from German Tanztheater and its unrestrained choreography. He channels the free-flowing energy of expressionist dance, layering historical references from the 1920s and 1980s into his own distinct vision.
“The twenties were a moment of freedom, of people rebelling and creating spaces for themselves,” Davis explains. This era’s influence emerges through straight-cut silken slips, some detailed with drop-waist lace appliqué, others collaged with slices of shearling. Utility-driven leathers and tailored pieces incorporate uniform details from the time, while dreamlike prints flicker throughout the collection. Handbags disrupt expectations, surrealistically lined with fur, while jersey-knit ensembles reinterpret off-stage wardrobes into fluid, restructured forms.
Davis embraces the surrealist idea of distorting the familiar to evoke discomfort. “Taking everyday objects and making them feel a little disturbed is something I find very interesting,” he says. This philosophy resonates with the choreographers who revived Tanztheater in the 1970s and 1980s, reinterpreting movement as an expression of love, control, and raw emotion.
Ferragamo’s collection channels the dualities found in German Tanztheater: freedom and restraint, romance and intensity, softness and strength, through precise fabric choices and structured silhouettes. Satin trenches cinch tightly at the waist, evoking a sense of motion frozen mid-step. Cashmere, smooth and warm, contrasts against glossy leathers, while flattened feathers and trailing poppies add an unexpected edge.
The collection borrows from Ferragamo’s own past, pulling elements from 1980s campaigns and archival footwear. Floral motifs make their way onto shoes, with organza, leather, and satin blooms spilling over almond-toe pumps. Sandals feature delicate vines wrapping around the calves, turning the foot into an extension of movement itself.
A new elongated wedge, inspired by Salvatore Ferragamo’s mid-century innovations, reinvents the concept of a fluidly covered shoe. Brogues and boots for men take on new personalities, reshaped by rugged, heavy-grained leathers and unexpected zip fastenings that subvert their otherwise classic construction.
Ferragamo’s handbags push the boundaries of structure and materiality. Evening bags bloom with organza flowers, their delicate petals standing in contrast to the precise lines of the Hug bag, which appears doubled and belted across the body. This season, the Hug transforms again, appearing as a feathered pouch, while the Soft bag takes on a dynamic new form that captures the collection’s expressive energy.
