Who are some of the earliest notable shoe designers?

Salvatore Ferragamo was one of the earliest notable shoe designers. Two other noteworthy shoe designers, Henry Rayne and Andre Perugia, became popular around the same time as Ferragamo.

Ferragamo, Rayne and Perugia all became popular in the early twentieth century. Each of these designers produced shoes for their own labels available to the public, but they created couture collections as well. Ferragamo and Perugia were Italian, and Rayne was English.

Ferragamo was known for reintroducing the Chopine, a platform shoe style. Rayne's shoes were popular among turn-of-the-century starlets, including Elizabeth Taylor, Brigitte Bardot and Vivian Leigh. Perugia is remembered for his homage to artists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.