THE MAX FACTOR

Ferragamo creative director Maximilian Davis is carrying on the brand's Old Hollywood legacy with some of New Hollywood's biggest talents.

- Juliana Ukiomogbe

Marilyn Monroe’s iconic red Swarovski crystal pumps. Audrey Hepburn’s suede ballet flats. Joan Crawford’s Foxtrot shoes. These were the makings of a Ferragamo woman during the Golden Age of Hollywood, a time when Salvatore Ferragamo was known as the “shoemaker of dreams.” Today, Maximilian Davis, the brand’s creative director since 2022, is paying homage to that glamorous era, while also making things uniquely his own—complete with a new firmament of young Hollywood stars.

“It’s not about introducing anything, but reenergizing what is already there,” Davis says. The 29-year-old is warm and personable, calling from a minimal white office, the only pop of color a tall green plant in the corner.

Growing up in Manchester in a Trinidadian-Jamaican family, he loved watching American films. And he particularly enjoyed seeing what stars wore on the red carpet. “It was a moment when you could see luxury designers come together and present their best look of the season,” he says, beaming at the memory. “They could use the talent to represent what the brand stood for. When I was growing up, fashion was a lot more free, risky, and daring.”

His love of fashion was nurtured by his grandmother, who was the first person to teach Davis how to sew when he was six years old. His penchant for making women feel great in his designs also goes back to his family: His mother was a model, and he calls his two sisters his “style icons.”