Alberta Ferretti
In 1968, Alberta Ferretti opened her first boutique, called Jolly, in Cattolica. She designed a first collection in 1973 and began showing seasonal collections on the runways of Milan in 1981. She launched Ferretti Jeans Philosophy in 1989, renamed Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti in 1994. In 1994 she renovated a 13th-century castle into the Palazzo Viviani hotel in Montegridolfo.
In October 1993 Ferretti presented clothes reminiscent of The Great Gatsby for the Milan ready-to-wear shows. One of her designs was a long and trim gingham dress, in pale blue. A flapper showed a beige crocheted dress styled just above the knee. Her renditions of the toga for the production were diverse. They were simple gowns, some of them short, others long and draped.[20]
Ferretti is known for her designs featuring twisting, tucking, and draping techniques. Her style employs a subtle layered look, sometimes showing a hint of hand-beaded gauze which extends slightly beneath the hem of a wool dress.[21] The erotic qualities of the chiffon and jersey fashions she introduced for her spring 2008 fashion collection is evident in the look of her dresses. Many of them are cut high in the front and draped low in the back. Her target customer is the cocktail crowd. Specifically the dresses are party frocks, above the knee, and enhanced by rhinestone rosettes and armour-like chain mail. Feretti's collection includes pleated bubbled coats, toga-like minidresses and skirts, and a sparse number of gowns of soft mint green and white hues. The minidresses and skirts were shown with ethereal models wearing metallic gladiator flats.[22]
In July 2011 her collection was presented at the catwalk of The Brandery fashion show in Barcelona.[23]
In 2021, Ferretti unveiled the brand’s first athleisure capsule collection.[24]
In September 2024, Ferretti announced her retirement from creative directing her namesake label after 41 years. She retains her seat on the board of Aeffe.[2]
Fragrances
Ferretti signed a licensing deal with Procter & Gamble for a fragrance line in 2000. The brand's first ever women's fragrance was only launched in 2009.[25]
Collaborations
In 2011, Ferretti worked with Emma Watson on a collection labeled Pure Threads by Emma Watson Alberta Ferretti, produced with materials and techniques that are environmentally friendly and made in Italy.[26] From 2019, another capsule collection using only eco-friendly materials such as recycled cashmere and organic cotton was launched in collaboration with Livia Firth.[27]
In 2018, Ferretti created the staff uniforms for Italy’s largest airline company, Alitalia.[28]
