Our website use cookies to improve and personalize your experience and to display advertisements (if any). Our website may also include cookies from third parties like Google Adsense, Google Analytics, and Youtube. By using the website, you consent to the use of cookies.

Ferrari goes from fast cars to haute fashion

MPHO RANTAO

FERRARI, a dominant force in the motorsport world, have made their entry into the cutthroat world of fashion. 

Showcased below the factory’s production level, with the V12 assembly line enveloped in a red glow, the “Prancing Horse” launched their first ready-to-wear collection from its Maranello factory in Italy.

The collection was created in the classic Ferrari colour palette of Ferrari red, black and Scuderia yellow in light sustainable fabrics. 

Advertisements

Unlike the conversative and understated clothing pieces that Ferrari’s loyal (and older) fanbase would normally wear, this new collection includes trench coats, bomber jackets, parkas and loose-fitting trousers — with most of the items sporting Ferrari’s name or logo. 

Picture: Supplied

In a statement, Ferrari said: “The empowered stance is what Ferrari fosters through pieces of clothing that ignores barriers of gender. Ferrari chooses a language that is attuned to the new generations. A fluid, impactful one.”

Their creative director, Rocco Iannone, designed each piece with the heritage of Ferrari in motorsport in mind, fusing bespoke fashion and lifestyle as a reflection in some of the collection’s pieces though the bold rubberized and reflective tape accents. 

Iannone’s experience has included working for brands Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Pal Zileri in haute fashion.

“Let’s face it, if you enter a Ferrari store, it’s not because you need another raincoat. You are looking for something special,” said Iannone ahead of the show.

READ:  FACTBOX: China, climate and vaccines - what the G7 agreed this weekend

He further explained that Ferrari’s car designers are inspired by the human body and that he was reversing this approach, starting from the brand’s instantly recognizable car designs and logo, returning “full-circle” to the curves of human anatomy by working on proportions, geometries and volumes.

Ferrari’s new collection for men and women. Picture: Supplied

“Most of them are high performance technical fabrics but with a haute-couture touch,” said the Calabria native.

Iannone described the collection as “fluid”, with 80 per cent of the fashions designed to appeal to both women and men.

“Ferrari is never a nostalgic company, it’s always ready to seize the spirit of the present and to look at the future,” he said.

Iannone’s ambitious debut collection can also be seen as a beacon for the younger generation – a crowd that are widely known for creating streetwear outfits, and not so much the branded merchandise that Ferrari have sold through their involvement in Formula 1 and luxury vehicle production. 

“The young generations have the power to express the energy and power of a brand,” Iannone explained in an interview with Associated Press

Advertisements

Picture: Supplied

Ranging in sizes from XXXS to XXXL, Ferrari’s debut genderless collection also has wide shorts with reflective tape, loose-fitting trousers sportily fastened at the ankle, and bold coloured footwear including steel stiletto moccasins with rubber soles for women and a sneaker collaboration with Puma for men.

The accessories form part of some of Ferrari’s standing partnerships including with Rayban. Those include the logo-emblazoned crystal earrings, branded belts and futuristic sunglasses by Rayban. 

READ:  Not your bitch: Campaign against 'sexist' dictionaries moves to Italy

The collection is set to be released in six drops throughout the year, one of which will be sneakers in collaboration with Puma. 

“It (the collection) is the clear sign of a strong and optimistic Italy ready to grow and renew itself,” said John Elkann, CEO and president of Ferrari, at the show.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, currently racing in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, were also in attendance at the show, sitting near Elkann and his wife Lavinia Borromeo.

The collection is currently available at Ferrari retail stores in Milan and Rome, with further store openings scheduled in Los Angeles and Miami this year and in China in 2022.

Ferrari’s chief brand diversification officer Nicola Boari, told Associated Press that their runway collection is part of the brand’s diversification project that could “contribute up to 10% of Ferrari’s bottom line within a decade”.

“Our offer will preserve its two souls, car buyers and supporters,” Ferrari’ Chief Brand Diversification Officer Nicola Boari said on the day of the show.

The project entailing the retail and licensing that has been overhauled since 2019, includes Ferrari’s theme parks in Dubai and Barcelona, luxury experiences for Ferrari owners, and a new e-sports venture.

Advertisements
By The African Mirror

MORE FROM THIS SECTION