Yesterday, inside Ferrari’s Maranello factory, the buzz and whirls of robotic machinery had given way to a driving beat, as the Italian motorcar giants turned assembly line into runway to present their debut clothing line.

Much more than their cars, in their storied history Ferrari have engineered a holistic world of Italian style, speed and elegance. So, with designer Rocco Iannone (previously at Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and Pal Zileri) in the driving seat, this sartorial gear change was smooth as you like. Backdropped by half-assembled car silhouettes, models stepped out – symbolising Ferrari’s unique take on craft and fusion between heritage and future.

“A car is a vehicle that is being worn,” read the press release, “An item of clothing can be conceived in the same way.” Where Ferrari’s expert car designers take the human body as their starting point and build around that, Iannone reversed the situation by beginning with the cars.

In bolts of Ferrari red, giallo and electric blue, hooded anoraks were cut with vents alongide reflective tape detailing, while silk blouses were adorned with bold patchworked prints sliced and spliced from archival Ferrari imagery and magazine covers. Seatbelts became skater belts, and the marque’s Prancing Horse emblem was reimagined on knitwear, sweats and as crystal jewellery. Progressive in design: the collection is season-less and will be released in drops throughout the year, while eighty percent of this initial offering is unisex.

A futuristic mood surged throughout – visor-like sunglasses covered models’ faces thanks to a collaboration with Rayban as jeans were built with re-enforced knee pads and trenchcoats with bank panels; both made from fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles, forging technical fabrics within a sustainable mindset. The Scuderia Ferrari F1 team’s two young drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, were sat front row, and have also been enlisted as campaign stars.

The collection forms part of a wider vision from the brand that also sees it reopen Cavallino, its Maranello restaurant – originally a staff canteen, now a delicious hangout run by three Michelin star chef Massimo Bottura – and a brand new lifestyle store concept set to go global: foot on the pedal, full throttle.