Wanda Ferragamo took over the shoe house in 1960 and made it global luxury.

Salvatore Ferragamo, the shoemaker to Hollywood stars, died of cancer on August 7, 1960. His widow Wanda, then 38, with six children — the youngest just two years old — decided to take over the business herself, despite having no experience working in the industry or outside the home.

At his funeral, Ferragamo's workers reassured her: 'We can do it, you'll see. We'll help you.' With their support and that of her daughters, Wanda took command and intensified the development plan her husband had begun.

Her key decision was to carry out Salvatore's vision of pushing the company beyond footwear. In 1961 she finalized Gilio, the first Ferragamo perfume, and had the first silk scarf printed in Como; her daughter Fulvia later oversaw the expansion into silks.

The expansion worked. Wanda evolved the enterprise from a modest craft business into a serious luxury goods brand, and she led the company for more than twenty years as CEO, later serving as president and chairwoman until her death in 2018 at 96.

Wanda evolved the business from a modest craft business into a serious luxury goods brand, expanding into perfume and silk scarves and building a global luxury company.

Wanda chose to take over even though she had no business training.

She honored the founder's unfinished plan instead of freezing the product line.

She trusted the craftsmen's expertise and her daughters' talents.

Diversification into perfume and silk spread the brand beyond seasonal shoe sales.

When the founder dies mid-vision, the successor's job is not to replicate the founder but to complete the plan — diversify the craft into a brand, and lean on family and loyal staff who know the work.

The Ferragamo group remains a family-led global luxury house, with the third generation running the company after Wanda's death in 2018. Her 58-year stewardship turned a moment of grief into the founding act of a fashion dynasty that still bears the family name.