It is in honor of Wanda Ferragamo who ran her husband Salvatore's business after he died in 1960.

Wanda Ferragamo was an indispensable presence within Salvatore Ferragamo after she took the helm of the family business in the early 1960s following the death of her husband.

'Women in Balance' celebrates this legacy and offers a heartfelt tribute to the woman who, for 60 years, continued as president of the company, expanding its offerings into the ready-to-wear and fragrance realms.

 

The exhibition situates Wanda within the rapidly changing social environment of 20th century Italy, beginning as a housewife and wife of Salvatore Ferragamo at the age of 18.

 

In itself, the exhibition takes the 1960s as a turning point, specifically 1960 being the year when the house's artisans backed her to maintain control of the company after Salvatore's death; as well as being the time when post-war Italy saw hundreds of women enter the country's workforce.

This provoked a need to design products that met the new demands. This is how, according to the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum – located in Florence, Italy – 'Women in Balance' uses Wanda's own life as a starting point to explore society's new desires.

 

The exhibition was curated by Stefania Ricci and Elvira Valleri and will run from May 20, 2022 to April 18, 2023. It features archival films and photographs and, of course, a plethora of shoes spanning the years from 1955 to 1965.

 

In a statement, the museum said: "The aim of this exhibition is not simply to recount a chapter in the history of our country, but above all to inspire contemporary reflection on the social changes addressed."