MARANELLO, Italy — Ferrari V12 production cars were suspended over the factory floor Sunday night as the 74-year-old luxury carmaker launched a new era as a lifestyles brand, with a runway show unveiling its first ready-to-wear collection targeting a younger generation that might not be aware of its Formula One racing pedigree and coveted performance street cars.
Models walked along the halted production line in a symbolic gesture that underlined the creative interplay between Ferrari’s long lineage of sleek, curved automotive bodies and the fashion line by creative director Rocco Iannone, strong on structured outerwear contrasting with fluid, bright printed silks in red, yellow and blue.
Iannone’s collection could easily have narrowly targeted Ferrari’s already loyal customer base — mostly more mature consumers who fill waiting lists for the nearly 10,000 annual production of luxury cars with prices that start around $200,000 — with more staid driving clothes in quiet luxury fabrics and flat driving shoes.
But instead he went bold, starting with trench coats, bombers and parkas intricately modeled to give the appearance of a shell, branded with the famed Prancing Pony logo on the nape, and including rubberized accents on pockets and sleeves to recall the automotive heritage.
“The young generations have the power to express the energy and the power of a brand,” Iannone said of the target audience. The 35-year-old designer was previously creative director at Pal Zileri after more than a decade at Giorgio Armani and a stint at Dolce & Gabbana.
The coats were complemented by day wear that included silky midi skirts in new Ferrari prints featuring collages of classic racing cars and the Ferrari logo. The youthful street wear feel was sophisticated, with oversized Ferrari branding on shirts, complemented by wide shorts with reflective tape or loose-fitting trousers fastened at the ankle.
Footwear included steel stiletto moccasins with rubber soles for women, or trekking sandals with flashes of color and a sneaker collaboration with Puma for men. Accessories included big Prancing Pony crystal earrings, trailing Ferrari-branded belts and futuristic sunglasses by Rayban.
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferrari women’s and men’s Spring Summer 2022 collection, in Maranello, Italy, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferrari women’s and men’s Spring Summer 2022 collection, in Maranello, Italy, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Designer Rocco Iannone accepts applause at the conclusion of the Ferrari women’s and men’s Spring Summer 2022 collection, in Maranello, Italy, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferrari women’s and men’s Spring Summer 2022 collection, in Maranello, Italy, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferrari women’s and men’s Spring Summer 2022 collection, in Maranello, Italy, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferrari women’s and men’s Spring Summer 2022 collection, in Maranello, Italy, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferrari women’s and men’s Spring Summer 2022 collection, in Maranello, Italy, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferrari women’s and men’s Spring Summer 2022 collection, in Maranello, Italy, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
A model wears a creation as part of the Ferrari women’s and men’s Spring Summer 2022 collection, in Maranello, Italy, Sunday, June 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
