Gianfranco Ferre

Gianfranco Ferre

Biography, The Italian style master known for his love of pure line, luxurious fabrics and vibrant color, designs ready-to-wear and accessories collections under his own name in addition to his work as artistic director of the House of Christian Dior in Paris. He is the master of one of the world's most successful design empires, including Ferre boutiques around the world, men's wear, fragrance, accessories, etc. Born in 1944 in Legnano, Ferre took an early interest in design and eventually enrolled in the Milan Polytechnic Institute where he earned a degree in architecture. But a consuming interest in fashion lead him to design a collection of jewelry and accessories which he envisioned as a middle ground between design objects and "props for living." Soon Ferre was designing his first fashion collections bringing him instant recognition both from the press and from an exclusive group of fashionable, modern women. Ferre credits a trip to India early in his design career as the moment he grasped the oriental understanding of simplicity in line and color. In India Ferre learned the notion that purity is the goal of all good design. At the same time Ferre takes inspiration from his native Mediterranean spirit which allows him to indulge fanciful whims and celebrations of female beauty. Since joining Dior, Ferre has adopted Paris as his second city, inspiring the designer with its sharp avant-garde spirit, its sense of exaggeration while remaining mindful of tradition. Ferre represents the freedom to create for the sake of creation, always inventive, whether responding to the needs of tradition or exploring the limits of his imagination, or simply revealing a passionate romanticism. He plies the form, the material with sense of rigor, tenacity and sheer delight. Ferre, the eternal creator, unfailingly inquisitive, remains ever on the alert. He loves travelling, observing, discovering, meeting people. First and foremost, Gianfranco Ferre loves life. This life which, in turn, has proven to be very fond of him.