Emmanuel Ungaro is the son of an Italian tailor who lived in Aix-en-Provence in the south-east of France. Very early, he plays with his father’s sewing machine. At age 22 he goes to Paris to take classes at Balenciaga. There, he learns discipline and the eternal search for perfection. An ideal that he will attain by establishing his own couture house. The very first fashion show takes place in 1965 in Paris, on Mac Mahon Avenue. Emmanuel Ungaro will be known for his colored flower prints, his draped short dresses and his perfumes. Salvatore Ferragamo takes over the company in 1996 and expands its line of activities to cover accessories, bathing suits and ready to wear. In 2004, Emmanuel Ungaro puts his drawings away and ceases his haute couture activities. “I would rather leave the scene discreetly” declares the man who has dressed the biggest names such as Anouk Aimee, Sophie Marceau, Sharon Stone and Penelope Cruz. In November 2005, the couture house is taken over by the private investment fund of Asim Abdullah with Mounir Moufarrige as minority shareholder. The Ferragamo group is licensed to manage the leather accessories and perfumes lines and a new page in the history of Ungaro begins.