Salvatore Ferragamo (1898-1960) founded and built the shoe and luxury goods company that bears his name. Born in Bonito, Italy, he had an interest in shoemaking from a young age. Starting with a shoe shop in Hollywood in 1914, he built a small reputation for innovative designs and supreme quality. He returned to Italy and setup shop in Firenzein 1927. His reputation in and out of Italy grew and in 1947 he was awarded the Neiman
Marcus Award.
Salvatore died in 1960, but his legacy was carried on by his wife and later, kids. Now days, the company, in addition to its shoes, produces mens and womens clothing, luggage, handbags and other small leather ascessories. The family also owns several luxury hotels in the Firenze area.
The shoes are quite comfortable (assuming you get them from a place that has their full range of widths) and run from mid $200s (for casual-dress) to $400s and beyond (for formal stuff).