10 Minutes With: Paul Andrew

Creative Director of Salvatore Ferragamo talks fashion, innovation and Oprah

- Carmel Harrison

How has the brand evolved in the last three years since you joined?

It’s a real joy to reflect upon the last three years. This has been a time of wonderful growth – for me, the talented people with whom I work, and the brand itself. Though I hesitate to take too much credit for this… Ferragamo enjoys the most incredible heritage and has been on an impactful journey ever since its inception 75 years ago. What I've attempted, and hopefully been able to achieve with the help of my team and our master craftspeople, is an evolution towards inclusion, modernity, relevance, tech-forward construction, and global consciousness.

As a shoe designer did you always plan to move into ready-to-wear and did you ever expect to become the creative director of such an iconic fashion house?

Well, I was raised to dream big, so I have worked hard at every step of my education and career, applying myself with an appropriate measure of confidence. That said, I never expected a blessing of this magnitude to come my way. If I did anything right, it's been embracing the wonderful opportunities that presented themselves through the years and fighting off the doubts that told me I couldn't do it. My background in shoe design made me a true stickler for precision. While ready-to-wear is relatively new for me, this penchant for detail has been vital as I've taken on apparel for women and, now, men. Seeing these full looks go from the drafting board to the runway is beyond my wildest dreams.

How do you keep moving the brand forward whilst keeping its DNA?