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Gianfranco Ferre
Formally trained as an architect, Italian designer Gianfranco Ferre launched his first signature womenswear collection in 1978, followed shortly with a men's collection in 1982, fragrance in 1984, and a couture line by 1986. Known for its crisp lines, exact cutting, and visible seams, Ferre's label was influenced by his first trips to Asia. Defined by an East-meets-West aesthetic that vehemently rejects high-fashion trends, the house built its look on rigorously constructed, but casual, garments-like Ferre's famously crisp white dress shirts decked with layered cuffs, collars, and ruffles. Sharply tailored dresses, suits, and structured ballroom skirts in ultraluxe fabrics and rich colors were recurring players in Ferre's simple but elegant roster. In the nineties, the house branched out with sportier ready-to-wear, fur, and high-end accessories under FERRE Milano, and sportswear divisions for jeans, children's, and lower-priced accessories-consolidated in 2005 under the GF FERRE line. After Ferre's death in 2007, Lars Nilsson was brought on as creative director for less than a year before being replaced by 6267 designers Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi in April 2008. Their first collection (spring 2009) won acclaim for honoring Ferre's legacy of controlled femininity while modernizing the label with their stiff, geometric dresses in curve-conscious shapes.
