“Because I’m 100 per cent Italian and I’ve always worked within the Italian fashion system. I feel this was important to Mr Della Valle”
“In the morning I’m working on Tod’s, in the afternoon N°21, in the evening Rochas,” he reveals. That’s quite the design dexerity, especially since the classicism of Tod’s is at such odds with the iconoclastic values of N°21. “They are all completely different worlds that require an entirely fresh approach,” he concedes. Does it require a soundtrack of Puccini in the morning for inspiration, switching to rock guitars of Blondie and Joan Jett in the afternoon? Apparently not. “Luckily when I first started out in the industry at the age of 18, I worked for so manydifferent brands and had to do so many different things, that helped me to work quickly. In the same day, I could be working on three different collections.”