What makes you proud about being Italian today?
I am so proud of my Milanese roots. Then, certainly beyond the clichè that can be mentioned, I would say that the famous made in Italy thing is something relevant.Italy is a country where I can realize my creative ideas in a very short time. It makes me proud of the fact of living in a varied country full of culture. I was born in Italy. When I was 12 years old, I moved to Sidney and I felt a great lack of art history and architecture that Italians often take for granted.Surely, I would say also the fact of living in a beautiful country.
If you could describe the mood of this phase of your life with a song, which would it be and why?
I find myself in the most frenetic time of my life yet, so I would probably choose Don't stop me now, by Queen. I listen to it often in these days to recharge myself.
What is the funniest thing about being a talented shoe designer?
There surely exist many funny sides to my job.Starting from the drawing to the final product, I truly enjoy being young and playing my part in the industry.It is surely funny to have the chance to be in touch with so many interesting people and to travel a lot.
What is something that makes a person stylish in your opinion?
Personality above all. A person with a strong personality is always stylish – well dressed or not.If the person knows what he/she wants. Being confident is stylish.
What is a cliché about Italian people that you would like to dismantle?
It's Versace, not Versac-ee [smiling].I would say the fact that we are retro. I lived abroad and I realized that many people see us like that.But we have all the modern comforts that an American or English city has You draw inspiration from artists and designers.
What is it about art and design that you find so inspiring?
Shapes, colors… but also contexts. If I think about artists, I think they are more fascinating and intellectual if compared tofashion people. I see them more elevated. For me, working on references of artists that I love gives that final touch to my product.
Any preview about the collection you are currently developing?
All I can say is "bling bling."
Instagram is mainstream now, but apart from your business page, what is your relationship like with social media in your everyday life?
A love/hate relationship. Surely Instagram has been fundamental to launch my brand and to give it proper visibility, but I am not a very social person.It is a matter of time and quality: if you want to share good quality content, you must dedicate time to it. Talking about Facebook, I got bored of it.I deleted my account.I am afraid that also Instagram will end up like that, but honestly, as a millennial, I feel less represented by it lately.
Where does your passion for shoes comes from? This is a difficult question because I have always been passionate about fashion. I used to draw total looks including clothing as far back as I can remember.Then, at a certain point, I focused on shoes. Probably because I had the chance with this product to express my creativity on one special project without thinking about the context. I wasn't feeling ready to create a total look.My love for shoes is endless, I love to work on details like the designer does with creating jewelry.
What is something totally out of time in your opinion talking about style?
Maybe there is so much vulgarity, lots of cheap people.Many figures are considered celebrities thanks to social media. They are vulgar, but not in an artistic way. Many famous people who influence new generations are out of style and that is so dangerous.
What makes you smile? What makes you sad?
Happy: smiles – love – good food – dressing up – seeing a sketch of mine becoming reality – a nice gin & tonic.Sad: ignorance – discrimination – lazy people – cheap things – badly-dressed wealthy people. ̋