As the son of fashion legend, the late Salvatore Ferragamo, Leonardo Ferragamo - who visited Mumbai with his 16-year-old daughter to attend the Mumbai International Boat Show recently - is openly proud of his legacy, but in a robust, earthy, Italian sort of way. Is he the second most famous Leonardo after da Vinci, I ask when face to face with him. "Perhaps, thank you - but there's also DiCaprio!" he quips. He is still jet-lagged the morning after his arrival and needs a strong cup of black coffee to get his bearings. Some brisk sips later, he articulates his impressions of India. "I'm impressed with Mumbai. I see a lot of dignity here. But there are many wonderful buildings that need to be refurbished," he rues.

Honed in the fine aesthetics of Italy and bred by parents who have been fashion pioneers, he regrets losing his father at seven. "I remember my father as a motivator, a great communicator and someone who had the ability to get us all involved in his activities. On Sunday, he would work at home with his leather swatches and tools and would not mind us playing around him." His mother's miniature shoe collection houses a piece of leather with stitches on it. "At the back, written in my father's handwriting, are the words: Leonardo, 1959. This means I was working with him at the age of five or six!" When he did well at school, Ferragamo's reward was a trip to their shoe factory with his father, where he could work with cobblers and wax the threads. "I also learnt how to straighten nails!"

Salvatore Ferragamo had, by then, set up one of the most reputed and coveted labels for high fashion ladies' shoes, which was patronised by Hollywood's leading ladies and featured in many movies. Long before Sarah Jessica Parker made such a big noise about her Manolo Blahniks in 'Sex and the City'!

When Salvatore died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 62, it left his family stunned and traumatised. His widow, Wanda, though shattered, was determined to, quite literally, step into his shoes. Recalls Ferragamo, "Everything in the business was centred around my father. Although my mother was an important presence in his life, she was essentially a housewife. But she was marvellous. With her personality and character she came in and was determined not to sell out despite so many lucrative offers." Ferragamo says she wanted to make his father's dream - to see his entire family involved in the business - come true. "Each one of six siblings has come in and added a new dimension to the business, taking it from a sole focus on ladies shoes to today encompassing men's shoes, accessories, scarves, ties, eyewear, watches, fragrances, ready-to-wear and handbags."

Although his mother has now retired, Ferragamo admires her deeply. "She is a woman of vision, courage and positive energy. She combines totally contradictory attributes. For instance, she has a very broad vision and yet she can conceive every minute detail. She is an extremely generous person, and simultaneously very particular about every penny she spends! She can be very emotionally detached about most things, and yet there will be a tear rolling off her eye when she sees the Pope giving his blessings on TV. All in all, she is a lady of incredible charisma," he smiles.

Ferragamo credits his mother with providing his family with a very strong point of reference when the second generation started working in the business and for taking care that their roles don't overlap. Which is how this large family manages to work together without friction. While all of Salvatore's six children work in the business, the grandchildren are not entitled an automatic entry. "We induct the new generation through a system that requires them to prove their talent." Spouses, however, are forbidden from being part of the business. "It is a family decision," he says,"there are enough of us already!"

Ferragamo says it was a natural instinct to come into the business and develop it. "As a young boy I knew this is what I would do. In my heart I never gave myself a second option, although had I not been born a Ferragamo I would have, perhaps, become an architect."
Ferragamo started the men's shoes division and its stupendous success led to other acquisitions, the most notable being Nautor. Nautor is a ship-building company known for its famous Swan luxury yachts, which Ferragamo fell in love with ever since buying a 51-foot Swan in 1988, six years after graduating from Columbia University with a degree in business administration and finance. "Nautor is more of a personal venture," he explains. "Although some of my family members are partners, I see myself as a business developer and look after the commercial side of Ferragamo. Although I never started out with a planned career graph, it has been exciting, challenging and rewarding all the way," he enthuses.

Other than the famous fashion brand, the family also owns and runs a chain of hotels called the Lungarno Hotels, which lay a premium on service and style.
Ferragamo, like many others in his field, is looking at Asia to expand his business. Currently almost 45 per cent of the Ferragamo brand's turnover comes from Asia. "We were the first Italian brand to go into Japan in 1965 and we continue to sell really well there. Then came Hong Kong and Singapore and, more recently, China, where we already have 30 stores!"
India has been a recent addition with a store at a suburban Mumbai five-star mall. "The Indian market has potential and we've known this for many years. But I think it's ready now. The government is showing a willingness to make things happen. I think of our entire range, in India the shoes and handbags play the biggest role. But this could be true of most of our markets."

He is impressed with Indian craftsmanship and believes Indian fashion will take off in a very big way soon. But unlike most of the other big fashion houses that outsource out of India, he does not see Ferragamo compromising its exclusive 'Made in Italy' status. "We have championed the 'Made in Italy' stance for our brand. When it comes to high quality and aesthetic appeal, especially in leather, there is no substitute to what Italy can make. But, yes, with globalisation and a changing world, the temptation to produce out of Italy has been there. But there are no immediate plans for that," he stresses.
Ferragamo makes everything in-house and never gives out production licenses to outsiders. "We could so easily get into making jeans or T-shirts by giving out licenses for mass production but we don't do that." Taking the high road has meant keeping their reputation intact, and while he is exacting about what his brand puts out, he is, personally, more casual and unguarded when it comes to his personal style statement.

Interestingly, Ferragamo is not really brand conscious when he shops and sees himself as a very independent shopper. "I buy what I like and don't necessarily go to the big designers or brands. My suits are always tailored in Italy, although I may use our own fabric." Sportswear takes up a considerable part of his wardrobe as he is a yachting aficionado. Travel is another passion, which is just as well since his work requires him to be a full-time member of the Frequent Flier's Club. He lives in Florence, which he considers one of the most inspirational cities in the world. "It has an inherent sense of culture and beauty that sustains me. But it's a very small place and that forces me to move out ever so often."
Ferragamo has four children and although he is separated from his wife, he is a hands-on dad. Part of the charm of coming to India is that his eldest daughter is with him (he also has two sons aged 14 and 13, and another daughter aged nine). "My eldest is 16 and this is her first big trip at an age when she can understand and appreciate a country like India and I'm really happy to be able to give her my undivided attention and help her discover a new country." There is a heartening acknowledgment for a life of privilege as he concludes, "I feel lucky that I have always found activities for which I feel a passion. I have enjoyed myself and love working with a vision."