Which Italian shoe designer invented the wedge heel?

Salvatore Ferragamo invented the modern cork wedge heel.

Ferragamo developed the design in Italy during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Instead of separating the heel from the sole, he shaped a single wedge of cork beneath the foot and covered it with leather or fabric. The construction provided height, stability, and support while using relatively little metal.

Material shortages and economic sanctions during the period encouraged Italian shoemakers to experiment with substitutes. Ferragamo’s wedge became especially influential because it combined that practicality with elegant proportions. His earlier work in Hollywood had also given him a reputation for technically inventive, glamorous footwear.

A common mix-up is confusing the wedge with the platform shoe. Both add height, but a wedge slopes continuously from heel toward the front of the shoe, while a platform is a raised sole that may still have a separate heel. Ferragamo is best described as the pioneer of the modern fashion wedge, rather than the inventor of every earlier wedge-shaped shoe.