Salvatore Ferragamo envisions a summer of endless possibility

February 21, 2022

The new sunny campaign is like a love letter to Italy. Image credit: Salvatore Ferragamo

Italian fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo is exploring the sunny Mediterranean coastline and the allure of warm weather with its new spring/summer 2022 campaign.

Starring Emmy Award-winning actor and musician Jharrel Jerome, “Hotel Splendid” portrays an idyllic summer vacation along the Italian coast. Showcasing pieces from its spring/summer 2022 collection, the film campaign radiates Italy, indulging consumers in a sunny getaway.

A splendid stay
Produced by artist and director Amalia Ulman, the short film is accompanied by a collection of images captured by Hugo Comte. With the campaign, Ferragamo merges vintage and contemporary styles through a lens of passion.

The film begins with Mr. Jerome playing piano in a dimly lit room, filming himself for his mother.

In the next scene, the voice of a young woman is heard saying, “Bro!” The camera pans away from Mr. Jerome to reveal his sister standing in a window across, what could be, a courtyard or alleyway.

As they await their mother’s arrival to Italy, the siblings explore the coastal town, filming their journey.

The film then cuts to a young woman, Ms. Ulman, who finds a box of old cameras and traverses through town with friends and models, taking their photos.

In a voiceover, the audience listens to a voicemail Ms. Ulman is leaving for a friend.

Amalia Ulman runs into old acquaintances in Ferragamo's campaign

“Last night, the American kid Jharrel, his mom said, in front of everyone, ‘please play the piano you are so good,’” she says, unveiling to the audience that the two individuals know each other. In an interview, Ms. Ulman revealed the two protagonists knew each other as teenagers.

Unknowingly, however, Ms. Ulman and her friends are taking photos on a raised terrace where Mr. Jerome and his sister, Sasha, stand below figuring out directions.

The next scene shows the siblings eating at an outdoor restaurant when Mr. Ulman comes up to the table to fill water glasses. They are gleefully surprised to see each other, and Sasha films their warm embrace.

The focus on filmmaking and photography symbolizes a central theme Ferragamo intended for the creative project: indulging in precious memories.

In addition to the short film and supplementary images, Mr. Jerome and Ms. Ulman spoke to Ferragamo about the inspiration behind the campaign and how it came to fruition.

“For Ferragamo, I wanted to tell a summer story while staying away from the typical boy meets girl narrative,” she said. “Instead, I wanted to focus more on the relationship between him and his sister, the female protagonist and her mother and the beautiful friendship [the two main characters] had as teenagers.”

Mr. Jerome described the unique combination of art, fashion and cinema that Ms. Ulman brought to the screen in “Hotel Splendid.”

The passion for life theme is carried through to still imagery. Image credit: Salvatore Ferragamo

“Dreams are what carry us as artists, as people,” he said. “Growing up in the Bronx, I started to fall in love with clothing and it started to become a part of who I was as an artist.”

The spring/summer 2022 ready-to-wear collection is not yet available for purchase.

Cinematic campaigns
Cinema has always been a major part of Ferragamo’s heritage.

After emigrating from Naples, founder and designer Salvatore Ferragamo involved himself in the filmmaking business in Southern California and made shoes for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

As an ode to this part of the designer’s life, the brand frequently releases cinematic campaigns.

For its 2021 holiday campaign, Ferragamo released “It’s Movie O’Clock!” — a collection of still imagery and short films following the story of a group of friends who have reunited for dinner and a movie (see story).

In January 2021, the brand took inspiration from iconic filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock for a suspenseful spring/summer 2021 campaign.

Ferragamo collaborated with Oscar-nominated director Luca Guadagnino for a short film featuring an ensemble cast and included a cylinder-shaped bag that was meant to emulate a meaningful prop from Mr. Hitchcock’s 1964 film, Marnie (see story).

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