The Salvatore Ferragamo Museum was inaugurated in Florence in 1995 at the initiative of the Ferragamo family in the historic Palazzo Spini Feroni in Via Tornabuoni, formerly the headquarters of the Ferragamo company since 1938. The goal was to make the world wide public aware of the art of Salvatore Ferragamo and its influence not only in the world of footwear but also of international style and fashion.

The project was born from the synergy of his wife Wanda and his six children and was inspired by an exhibition dedicated to the history of Salvatore Ferragamo which was held at Palazzo Strozzi. The exhibition became itinerant and was hosted by the most important museums in the world including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Country Museum of Los Angeles, the Guggenheim in New York and the Kai Foundation in Tokyo, to then become permanent and give life to the exhibition activity of the Museum.