For Davis, this is a testament to the recognition he represents of the younger generation and people of color; For the Ferragamo family, this is a bold choice.
The beginning of the story is quite dramatic. Two weeks after Davis’s personal brand Maximilian released the 2022 spring/summer fashion show, he received a private message on Instagram from an account that said “there is no profile picture and the displayed image is blurry”, but he didn’t pay attention. “I really don’t know what’s going on. Later, I received an email from the British Fashion Council, saying that recruitment agencies were trying to contact me. I didn’t pay attention to that email either.” He explained with a smile that he was only focused on personal branding at the time and wasn’t ready to discuss anything with anyone until the British Fashion Council and recruitment agencies copied his mentor in the next email. “In the end, there were about 9 people on the recipient list of the email. The mentor called me and she said, ‘You need to reply to this email.'”
When Davis learned that the brand was Ferragamo, he never imagined that the other party was offering the position of creative director. He spent about a week researching the brand’s past series, blockbusters, product catalogs, and other archives. In the 1980s and 1990s collection of the brand, he discovered similarities with his own brand: sexiness and elegance. To a certain extent, Ferraramo is very minimalist, feeling like an upgraded version of what I do in my personal brand. Meanwhile, I believe it is very in line with the current trends in the fashion industry. It just needs a new kind of energy and doesn’t need to be changed He said.
In Mayfair, London, Davis and Gobbetti met for the first time, “one-on-one, very private.”. Davis said he was very nervous at the time, and Gobbetti asked him to talk about his family and growth experience, and introduce his brand. “At that time, my brand had entered international retailers such as Net-A Poter, Selfridges, Matches, Dover Street Market, etc. I think he was surprised by how quickly my brand gained this level of recognition in the commercial market.” Davis said.
At the end of this conversation, he presented his research on Ferragamo to Gobbetti, who was satisfied with his idea of juxtaposing Ferragamo with Caribbean culture and the brand spirit he recognized. After completing the “final interview” with the Ferraramo family in Florence, Davis and Gobbetti discussed their common goals for the future. “It’s not about what I want to do as the creative director, but more about ensuring that we align our direction. Marco personally participates in every step, and he wants to ensure that the team receives support both physically and mentally.”. I think our first meeting was to ensure that I understand that we have a cooperative relationship, and this is something we need to do together
