Ta’s Red Book: The Life of Wanda Ferragamo

This volume is being published on the occasion of the exhibition Women in Balance at the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo in Florence. Wanda Miletti Ferragamo, wife of Salvatore Ferragamo, was an extraordinary figure who combined the traditional role of a woman devoted to her home and children with a commitment to work and business. Her individual story triggers profound reflections on how she honoured her husband’s memory through her entrepreneurial, cultural, and social choices. These choices allowed her to outline a specific form of family business, which has long been considered a pinnacle of the Italian economy. Her life was characterized by a strong dedication to work, and her role as a pioneering leader at the helm of an innovative company such as Salvatore Ferragamo provides an opportunity to explore and analyze the role of women in the years of Italy’s economic miracle, with a focus on issues such as household consumption and the influence of advertising.