Salvatore Ferragamo was an Italian shoe designer and the founder of luxury goods high-end retailer Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A.. He worked with many Hollywood stars in the 1920s, before returning to Italy to found the eponymous company making unique handmade footwear. One of his most celebrated pairs of shoes were the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. He was also responsible for the metal-reinforced stiletto heels made famous by Marilyn Monroe. His son, Leonardo Ferragamo has been managing as Chief Executive Officer of Palazzo Feroni Finanziaria S.p.A., dealing with diversified strategies and investments since 2000.
Solleone
Beside found his calling in creating luxury footwear that would spawn a multi-generational empire, Leonardo is driven, among other things, by an insatiable appetite for sailing. Especially for the yachts made by Nautor’s Swan – the Finnish yacht maker that has been in bussines since the late 1960s.
Since 1998 Leonardo Ferragamo and a group of investors have controlled and managed Nautor’s Swan. This management has evolved the brand by continuing to push forward a whirlwind of innovations and changes that firmly place the Swan yachts at the forefront of the international sailing world.
The just-delivered Solleone is Leonardo’s seventh Swan, which is named for Leonardo’s two eldest children, Maria Sole and Edoardo. The ship’s hull, as well as its mast and rudder, is made of high-grade carbon, which help to contribute to a sailing displacement of about 94 tons. A lifting keel adjusts from less than six feet to more than 11 feet, allowing the yacht to sail from shallow to deep waters.
Solleone
Belowdeck, the yacht has the feel of the Florentine fashion house, with a traditional teak interior and decorated in simple cream and navy. Much of the interior is made by hand. Solleone is fitted with a full-beam aft master cabin and nearby walk-in closet, which, not surprisingly, is stocked with Ferragamo loafers. Three en suite guest cabins are outfitted just as tastefully, as are the crew quarters, which can accommodate up to six (Solleone’s crew includes the captain, a chef, and three permanent crew members).
This superyacht cost somewhere between 16 and 17 million Euros (nearly $20 million), and when Ferragamo himself is not aboard, Solleone is available for charter to help offset the yacht’s $600,000 annual operating costs.
