"Luito"

Salvatore Ferragamo was the first manufacturer and designer to bring Italian shoes to the forefront of the footwear industry. Using his knowledge of American industrial methods gained during his stay in the U.S. between 1914 and 1927, Ferragamo availed himself of the skilled Italian labor pool to create a high quality, hand-made product for an international market. The designer's work is best known for its innovative use of materials, such as straw, raffia, cellophane, lace, and cork, and for the use of brilliant colors. Ferragamo pioneered the development of the wedge heel and platform sole in the 1930s.
This shoe is a less common variation on Ferragamo's iconic "invisible sandal" (see Brooklyn collection 60.159.14a-b) in which the upper is formed by a single nylon thread passed back and forth through holes in the insole. Semi-transparent elements are a notable feature of Ferragamo's mature work. In this development on the tie shoe, only the most minimal structure is retained, and the neural colored binding serves as a mere shadow alluding to the dematerialized upper.