Gianfranco Ferré 15 August 1944 – 17 June 2007) was an Italian fashion designer also known as "the architect of fashion" for his background and his original attitude toward creating fashion design.

he range of licensed products is wide, including shoes, stationery, luggage, home furnishings, and perfumes. The latest addition to this list is the license given to the Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch.

Most of the external licenses were eliminated in 2003, leaving only the Gianfranco Ferre mainline, Ferre diffusion, and GF Ferre younger/activewear labels.