His accolades include a 1984 award for Designer of the Year and Women’s Ready to Wear Award of the Year from the International Trade Press. He was also named a Commander of the Italian Republic that same year that he launched his first line of Couture clothing and became a fashion icon. Gianfranco Ferre went to work at Dior as a chief designer in the late ‘80s before he began opening two of his own boutiques and continuing to produce his own couture collections. His designs can be found in boutiques and department stores worldwide and he produces over 20 different lines, including ready to wear lines for both men and women.

Gianfranco Ferre produces designs that are often strong in color and pattern. His attention to detail and how the clothing moves, falls and shapes the human form is unparalleled. Ferre trends towards classic colors, such as reds, whites, blacks and golds and often uses extravagant fabrics in place of extravagant color. It is said in the fashion industry that no one can produce a better white shirt than Gianfranco Ferre; it seems to be a piece he favors. He is known for taking a white shirt and adding ornamental details that can either have an aspect of subtlety or vivaciousness.

Gianfranco Ferre is also a mover in the perfume industry with several lines of scents for men and women. Often with a powerful subtlety that makes a perfume successful, Ferre’s scents are distinct and rich: lingering long after the first spray leaves the bottle. Gianfranco is one of the “big four” Italian designers and with the raves his lines received at the Spring 2006 previews at Fashion Week, he shows no signs of slowing down now. His different lines (both ready to wear and couture) have evolved with the changing culture and despite his longevity; he still manages to create designs that appeal to a variety of different personalities and generations.