Stories

It is not easy to tell my story openly because I am a rather private person, and I have always tried to keep my personal life accessible only to those closest to me. 
I will take this as a therapy session because writing about yourself can prove really helpful in getting to know yourself better and finding your direction.
The last 15 years have been full of battles, defeats, and triumphs, but most of all, great changes. 
At the age of 24, after losing my mother, I had to come to terms with myself for the first time by searching within myself for answers about the person I wanted to become and what I wanted to do in life. Before then, honestly, I had never seriously asked myself that question. I had always lived from day to day, and while this has not changed even today, back then, something clicked within me, and I began to reflect on what was really important in life.
One winter day, I pulled out a scarf from my closet. It wasn't anything particularly elegant or attractive, but there was something special about it: it had a hood attached to it, and before I was given it as a gift, I had never seen anything like it. So I decided to create a similar one by modifying the pattern to make it more suitable for my style and choosing a nice fabric. I made a couple of versions, and eventually, the Sciarpuccio was born. 
I began to buy some wool in stores that sold leftover stock, moving first around Milan and then also to other regions of Italy. I relied on seamstresses who helped me produce a few dozen hooded scarves to sell at the Christmas events that were then very fashionable in Milan. These were not like classic markets, but they were real events organised in places like the Franco Parenti theatre or former industrial spaces that, after a period of selling, turned into real fashionable parties with international DJs. It was a lot of fun to exhibit my creations at those events, and the audience was alternative, intellectual and young. 

So I began to offer small collections of 20-30 pieces every winter that sold out every season. My philosophy was to produce a few quality pieces at affordable prices. 
Since then, I have never stopped creating the Sciarpuccio and have continued to propose ever-changing designs experimenting with new shapes, fabrics and workmanship, offering that hooded scarf I had found in my closet in as many versions as I could invent. 
In 2011, at the age of 27, I also lost my father, which was a moment of profound change. I had to set aside my ambitions to prioritise finding a secure job with a fixed income. There was no more room for passions; I had to grow up fast and face life. 
I was offered a job in television production at the company where my father had served all his life, and I immediately accepted. 
The pace of life and the environment around me had definitely changed. I had to deal with different and rather demanding people every day who were experts in their field. In the first few years, it was hard to get used to the stress and speed at which live television broadcasts went. 
For a long time, I felt out of place and not up to the responsibilities I was given, but then I realised that that world, made up of organisation, teamwork, and extraordinary ability to solve the unexpected, helped me grow by teaching me day after day to believe in myself.
Despite the limited time available, however, I never abandoned my creative passion. So, after work shifts, I would come home and lock myself in my studio to invent, design, sew and unpick prototypes of bags or other accessories that, during the days at the office, came to mind and that I promptly scribbled on scraps of paper.
In the office, my desk would teem with drawings and improvised notes amidst long days in the studios or phone calls to the office, making my workstation look more like a TV newsroom than a fashion style office.
In March 2020, my life took an unexpected direction. The pandemic broke out, and what was supposed to be just a month-long trip to Singapore became a 1-year, 2-month stay. 
The enormous uncertainty, media chaos, and stringent health measures that characterised that period initially prompted me to postpone my return to Italy and, later, to find the strength to do what, for ten years, I had only imagined and never thought I would have the courage to do. I quit my job and began to devote myself to creating a small line of rattan accessories. 
By taking such a significant step, I had definitely turned my life upside down. A flood of possibilities had opened up before me, but also many doubts and fears about what was actually the right path to take. 
After years of drawing a salary every month, I now had to make some wise decisions without giving up, once again, what I had always wanted to be my main job. I began to reduce my expenses to the bare minimum, asking myself every time whether what I was about to purchase was really necessary. I eliminated many superfluous things and learned to appreciate a more minimal and simpler lifestyle.
I focused on myself by constantly dedicating myself to taking care of my body and mind, from nutrition to physical activity, trying to evolve and improve myself every day through overcoming small daily challenges.
The time I lived in Singapore gave me the opportunity to appreciate and learn more about the multi-ethnic culture that characterises this tropical-climate city-state located at the tip of the Malay Peninsula. 
The extraordinary mix of the Indian, Chinese Hokkien, and Peranakan neighbourhoods intermingled throughout the city between modern skyscrapers, ancient temples, and the lush tropical flora piqued my creativity and played a decisive role in the evolution of my career path.
In May 2021, following the end of a relationship and my departure from Singapore, I found myself at a crossroads: return to Milan and look for a stable job or start a new life anywhere else in the world. 
Having no ties or special reasons to return to Milan, I chose the latter. I looked at the map and started thinking of places that could contribute to the idea of personal evolution that I had put in my head. 
My attention fell on two small islands south of Sicily: Malta and Gozo. Despite being so close to Italy, I knew nothing about that place in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea. I grew curious and started researching online until I decided to get a one-way plane ticket to Malta.
But why Malta, of all places? The reasons are various but very simple: I liked the idea of discovering a new place, I have always loved the Mediterranean Sea and its cultures, I was looking for a mild climate, I wanted to be close to Italy and to continue practising English.
A new chapter of my life was beginning in a place where I knew no one and was starting from scratch. The names of the towns were unpronounceable, but right away, I felt at home thanks to the hospitality of the Maltese people whose kindness welcomed me warmly to their island. 
Right from the start, I set out to find practical solutions that would allow me to continue designing new patterns. It was not easy, but by sharpening my wits, a solution can always be found no matter what. This is the lesson I learned. One should never feel sorry for themself because no one will ever come to save us and get us out of trouble. Life is an opportunity that has been given to us, and we must not live it passively. We must not oppose the difficulties we encounter on our way but accept them by constantly moving forward, as we have no other choice. Let us live each moment with passion, expressing gratitude for what we have and how far we have come with our strength. The answer you are looking for is within you and will manifest at the right time in your life.