As of today, UN Women Italy can count on a significant new founding partner, Salvatore Ferragamo. The Florence-based luxury fashion and accessories group, present in over 90 countries and emblematic of Italy’s excellence in beauty and craftsmanship, joins a select group of companies that have chosen to support UN Women Italy, a committee established in June 2024. It forms part of a global network of 13 national committees- independent, secular, and non-partisan, non-profit NGOs- which support the mission of UN Women in Italy, the United Nations entity dedicated to promoting women’s rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment, and which promotes actions for cultural change and social inclusion capable of generating value for all stakeholders.

The agreement with the historic fashion house comes just days after the launch of the UNiTE campaign- 16 Days of Activism against Violence against Women (November 25 to December 10), which aims to shine a spotlight on online abuse, from revenge porn to AI-generated deepfakes, and to assert the right to a safe digital space for all women. “What happens online does not stay on the net, but spills into homes and onto the streets,” the campaign reminds us, which also carries an appeal to governments and Big Tech: “Effective measures are needed to crack down on abuse and protect victims, as well as education and prevention,” while the “Femicide Report 2025” records as many as 50,000 women killed worldwide, nearly 80 in Italy.

Ferragamo was keen to highlight in a statement all of its initiatives in support of women, undertaken in line with Wanda Ferragamo’s legacy and the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. First and foremost, Ferragamo pursues a sustainability strategy- an ongoing programme of continuous improvement-structured around five pillars integrated into the business model, including ’empowering our people and creating value for global communities.’

“The entry of Salvatore Ferragamo as a founding partner of UN Women Italy is for us a source of joy and pride. With its support, the path towards gender equality will be stronger,” said Darya Majidi, president of UN Women Italy. “Thanks to the collaboration we will put in place, we will grow together in promoting profound and necessary change and an inclusive, sustainable development model which, we hope, will deliver lasting benefits for all parties involved.”

Confirming its commitment to inclusion and to the principles of equality and dignity, the company has adopted the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace and in communities. In addition, 48.8% of top management and 60% of managerial positions at Ferragamo are held by women (Annual Report 2024). The company has obtained both UNI/PdR 125:2022 Gender Equality Certification for Italy and Fair Pay Analyst Certification globally, setting the goal of eliminating by 2030 the Adjusted Gender Pay Gap, which currently stands at 2.9% (Annual Report 2024).

Through initiatives such as Employee Resource Groups, Ferragamo fosters the growth and recognition of its women professionals, alongside external projects dedicated to women’s empowerment: the Wanda Ferragamo Scholarship, the “Women in Balance” exhibition (2022–2023), the partnership with the Ethical Fashion Initiative for communities of women artisans in Burkina Faso, and annual support for Corri La Vita for breast cancer research.

The Florence-based company also notes that over the past year it has promoted meaningful opportunities for reflection on language, and organised a meeting focused on exploring the issue of stalking to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women; the internal newsletter series “Pills of DEI&B” explaining the meaning of the terms diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; and a series of interviews with colleagues titled “Ferragamo Fearless Voices, Crafted in Our Values,” which share their stories of courage and determination, as well as being included among the 22 Italian companies in the 500 “World’s Most Sustainable Companies,” according to Statista and Time magazine, for the second consecutive year, and achieving an A- score in the leading ESG rating, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).

Ferragamo’s support sends a powerful message: Italian businesses can contribute to initiatives of social progress and innovation aimed at promoting gender equality and equity.