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A History of the Best Ferragamo Bags
“Short, dark, with the patience of an apple ripening on a tree, Neapolitan Ferragamo, who is about thirty-five, now has a little shop in the Villa Tornabuoni,” wrote Vogue in the July 15, 1937. “Ferragamo shoes are Ferragamo fitted. He never hurries any one. If some one leaves, he murmurs in his fluent, low-voiced English, which runs like a dark syrup, ‘She’ll come back.’” And she did come back—Ferragamo customer has stayed put for over 100 years and counting.
The Ferragamo Handbags to Shop Now
- Hug, debuted fall 2023, starts at $2,600
- Wanda, debuted in 1988, relaunched in spring 2023, starts at $1,990
- Fiamma, introduced in 2014, relaunched pre-spring 2024, starts at $1,750
- Studio, debuted in spring/summer 2018, starts at $2,800
Born in Campania in 1898, Salvatore Ferragamo was one of 14 children and knew early on his passion for footwear, designing and crafting a pair of white leather shoes for his sister’s first communion at the age of nine. From there, it was off to Naples for an internship, and then to Boston to work at a cowboy boot shop with his brothers in 1914. The next year, Ferragamo and his brothers would go westward to Santa Barbara, opening up the Ferragamo Bros. shop on State Street which largely catered to the needs of costume designers who were fashioning a burgeoning film industry. Ferragamo’s early movie credits include Cecil B. DeMille’s 1923 silent film The Ten Commandments and 1928’s Sadie Thompson in which Gloria Swanson wore his bow-festooned pumps. And Hollywood came-a-calling! By 1923, Ferragamo had relocated to Los Angeles as an in-demand shoemaker with a roster of stars that read like the Hollywood walk of fame. With a gaggle of the most looked-at women as his clients, Ferragamo returned to Italy in 1927 and set up shop on Florence and the rest is fashion history.
Ferragamo’s unparalleled shoe-making skills led him to be one of the most revered shoe designers of all time—the cork wedge, the stiletto, the cage heel are all silhouettes he pioneered. Most memorable is his rainbow wedge sandal designed for frequent collaborator Judy Garland in homage to her song “Over the Rainbow” and the black suede slip-on loafers he designed for Audrey Hepburn to dance in in Funny Face.
With process that involved him casting molds of womens’ feet to best ensure the perfect fit (the designer even studied anatomy at the University of Southern California) and supreme comfort, Ferragamo designed with the belief that beauty didn't need to come second. “Elegance and comfort are not incompatible, and whoever maintains the contrary simply doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” he would write in his 1957 autobiography, Shoemaker of Dreams.
With such a legacy, it only made sense to turn the maison of Ferragamo into a full-blown women's brand, shoes, ready-to-wear, handbags and all. When Ferragamo passed, things stayed in the family. His widow, Wanda Ferragamo, oversaw creative direction and his daughter Fiamma Ferragamo (who is credited with the beloved Vara design) had the foresight to debut bags and small leather goods in 1965.
Now under the creative direction of Maximilian Davis, who was appointed in 2022, the brand has been infused with a heady modern and youthful perspective. Though shoes (some styles continue to be fully made by hand followed Salvatore’s methodologies) will always be the label’s calling card, the handbags are just as gorgeous. Below a history of Ferragamo Bags.
Hug
The Hug bag could have very well been named after the desire one might have to embrace the gorgeous accessory but it actually refers to the bags two leather “arms” that wrap about the bag with an adjustable signature Gancini clasp closures that can provide an extra little squeeze—just like a hug! In the short while that she’s been around—it debuted in fall 2023—the Hug has already become a mainstay in the Ferragamo line up. Plus, it comes in a few sizes and shapes.
Ferragamo
Hug soft bicolor shoulder bag
$3,000
FERRAGAMO
Ferragamo
Hug handbag
$3,500
FERRAGAMO
Ferragamo
Hug handbag
$3,000
FERRAGAMO
Ferragamo
Hug soft bicolor shoulder bag
$3,000
FERRAGAMO
Ferragamo
Hug soft crossbody bag
$2,600
FERRAGAMO
Ferragamo
Hug handbag
$3,500
FERRAGAMO
Fiamma
Introduced in 2014 and named after Fiamma Ferragamo, Salvatore’s daughter, the Fiamma bag has experienced a bit of an evolution. Its first iteration looked a bit more like a bowler bag but under Davis’s creative direction, the Fiamma got a bit of edge. Plus, it’s now both a crossbody or a shoulder bag with an asymmetrical flap that resembles a flickering flame—as the name suggests, “fiamma” in Italian.
Ferragamo
Fiamma crossbody bag
$2,200
FERRAGAMO
Ferragamo
Fiamma crossbody bag
$2,950
FERRAGAMO
Ferragamo
Fiamma mini crossbody bag
$1,750
FERRAGAMO
Ferragamo
Fiamma crossbody bag
$2,200
FERRAGAMO
Studio
Launched in 2018 to honor Ferragamo’s first workshop, the Studio bag is known for its structured, elegant lines and practical functionality. Available in various sizes and finishes, it incorporates a distinct Gancio clasp and a studded base, giving it a polished look. More recently, a slouchier version of the bag has been offered—with splayed out sides that add a bit of youthful carefree look.
Ferragamo
Studio soft bag
$3,250
FERRAGAMO
Ferragamo
Studio soft bag
$3,250
FERRAGAMO
Ferragamo
Studio bag
$3,250
FERRAGAMO
Ferragamo
Studio box bag
$2,800
FERRAGAMO
Wanda
The Wanda Bag is one of Davis’s first designs for Ferragamo. It was introduced in his debut collection for the brand in 2023 as a wink to Wanda Ferragamo, Salvatore Ferragamo’s wife and a pivotal figure in the brand’s history. With a traditional top-handle style, the Wanda gave existing Ferragamo customers the structure and polish they were used to while the edgy and slick angular silhouettes beckoned the next generation of Ferragamo shoppers. Plus, we can’t overlook the unexpected placement of the Gancini hardware on either side of the bag: The double hook was inspired by the iron gates of Ferragamo’s Florence-based headquarters and has become a symbol of the fashion house. Its introduction marked a fresh chapter for Ferragamo under Davis’s creative direction and the bag has stuck around for a couple of seasons.
Ferragamo
Wanda mini bag
$1,990
FERRAGAMO
Ferragamo
Wanda East-West top-handle bag
$2,500
FERRAGAMO