Why does Ferrari want to get into fashion? Cross-sectorality is the future of luxury

A few days after the report of Il Sole 24 Ore that spoke of rumors about a possible equity partnerhsip between Giorgio Armani and Ferrari, the Maranello house is preparing to enter the fashion game. This weekend a "fashion experience" will be presented in Maranello that will culminate on Sunday in ferrari's first real fashion show. The show will represent the culmination of a long strategy of diversification of the Ferrari brand started, as WWD reports, two and a half years ago with the aim of expanding the brand's offer in the lifestyle field. Transforming Ferrari's current merch to a real line, capable of reflecting the values of the Prancing Horse, is not a pic-nic in the park and, given the difficulties and challenges of creating an authentic fashion line, involves some risk. However, the transaction represents a necessary alignment with the values of the New Luxury that characterize today's market, in which cross-sectorality becomes a necessity also for brands such as Ferrari, which needs to maintain a cultural centrality outside of automotive and racing.  In this sense, the brand's competitors such as Maserati and Lamborghini have already made strides in the fashion sector. It is no coincidence that four weeks ago the brand equipped a moodboard page, curated by Ferrari's creative director, Rocco Iannone who began to tell the story and aesthetics of Ferrari through the curatorial moodboard format on the @ferraristyle page - something that brings it closer to the many fashion brands that voted their Instagram profile for curation of content rather than advertising.

Why is the Ferrari brand interested in fashion?

On the look, Ferrari is a brand that owes everything to design and engineering, as well as being the symbol of Italian luxury par excellence. And so it made little sense that the products of a brand positioned so high had ended up in the lower end of the market, also because of their appearance that did not attract customers and the most fashion savy admirers of the brand. The potential of a luxury clothing line such as the one signed by Iannone, in fact, also lies in the possibility of obtaining the support of illustrious customers of the brand such as Justin Bieber, Drake, David Beckham or LeBron James. Without mentioning how, just as the collection that will go on the catwalk on Sunday is inspired by the design and shapes of the most famous models produced by Ferrari, a parallel could be created in the future according to which the collection of new car or custom-made models could be accompanied by the production of luxury clothing "corresponding" to its aesthetics.  The theme of realness in fashion, however, remains central. In an era dominated by aggressive marketing, consumers immediately distinguish between an aesthetically cohesive operation inspired by sincere values from a simple cash grab - precisely for this reason the profile of Ferrari Style and its curatorial approach, with the re-enactment of Ferrari's transversal presence through the various eras and places of pop culture wants to highlight the realness of the Maranello house , the solidity and concreteness of its tradition.

It is almost certain that the success of the entire operation lies in the strategy that will be put in place: certainly amplification techniques will play a decisive role in the delicate act of repositioning Ferrari as a lifestyle brand - in a way similar, but not identical, to what happened with Bottega Veneta, a senescent brand until four years ago that was able to relaunch and reinvent itself from head to toe during just two collections and that , today, is one of the most followed in the world without even having social channel. If Ferrari can capture the interest of consumers with collaborations of level designers and involving the right personalities, as well as with the actual quality of the designs, we could come to see, one day, the Rampant Horse appear in the calendar of a fashion week , as well as at the top of the Formula 1 standings.