I went to the Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, specialising in painting. It has been hard to explain to my family my artistic aspirations. My father is a bank broker, my mother is an accountant and my sister is a biologist: they all work with numbers.

I attended the Academy of Dance, too. I was a professional dancer, but in 2005 I broke both my ankles falling to the ground after a backflip. So I could not dance anymore: I had to reinvent myself.

At the beginning, I started working as a salesman in Alexander McQueen’s showroom. I was 26 years old. There, I felt that I could express myself through creativity. Later, I left and took up a role at Moschino setting up the shop windows in a spectacular way.

When I quit my position at Moschino, I knew how to use different materials: paper, velvet, silk, and organza. So, one day, I created 4 hats from paper. I took pictures of them and I posted them on Facebook. Somebody in Vogue Italia saw my hats: my story as a milliner started at that moment.