Ferragamo Names Ortiz Creative Director

Salvatore Ferragamo has appointed Cristina Ortiz as chief designer of the Florentine luxury brand’s women’s ready-to-wear collection.

Her debut presentation will be in the Fall/Winter 2008 collection, unveiled next February in Milan.

Ortiz succeeds Graeme Black, the Scottish designer who created the women’s ready-to-wear collections for the past four years. Black’s last collection for Ferragamo will be the Spring/Summer 2008 fashion show presented in Milan on September 26.

Ortiz joins Ferragamo from Brioni where she designed the women’s collection. Prior to that Ortiz was chief designer at Lanvin, where Alber Elbaz succeeded her.

“I am excited to work for this prominent Italian brand. Salvatore Ferragamo enjoys a prestigious past and has extraordinary potential in the luxury industry,” said Ortiz in a press release.

“Florence continues to be recognized worldwide for the quality and fine craftsmanship of its products, and Ferragamo has always been one of the main reasons for that,” said Cristina Ortiz, who is originally from the Canary Islands.

A graduate of the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris, Ortiz also spent four years at Prada as Designer Director from 1994 to 1997. Married with two children, Cristina lives in Italy.

Ferragamo also added that Ortiz “will also flank CEO Michele Norsa in a new project development for Salvatore Ferragamo,” without further illumination.

Added Norsa: “I spent months looking for a designer who would make a significant contribution to the development of Ferragamo’s ready-to-wear collection, in line with the brand’s image and history. I am confident that Cristina’s cultured background, keen eye and considerable professional experience will further boost the visibility of this line and help achieve the ambitious market positioning and global expansion objectives that we have set.”

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