Balancing Elegance and Ease: The Art of minimalist fashion

Heels or flats when you’re off-duty?

Flats or Kittens. I value ease and proportion, and there’s something elegant in the understatement of shoes that let you move freely.

What’s the first pair of shoes you ever loved?

My first pair of designer heels from Isabel Marant, I saved up for over months. They were more about what they represented — independence, aspiration, and the joy of owning something that felt like art.

Sculptural or minimal, what describes you better?

I live in the tension between both. The vision is sculptural, bold, architectural but the execution is minimal, stripped of anything unnecessary.

What’s the soundtrack in your studio when you’re designing?

It changes constantly depending on my mood. Sometimes it’s dance, sharp and rhythmic, when I need energy. Other times it’s classical or ambient, something that allows space for reflection.

Whose closet would you raid?

Charlotte Rampling in the 1970s. Her style was intellectual, understated, and quietly radical — everything pared back but deeply considered.

Best fashion advice you picked up at Harper’s Bazaar?

That editing is more important than adding. Style and design are about what you remove as much as what you keep.

If NEOUS had a signature scent, what would it be?

Jasmine at night mixed with leather. A blend that feels both delicate and strong, ephemeral yet grounding.

Coffee order that fuels your day?

I love the scent of it in the morning, but I don’t drink caffeine. I enjoy witnessing the collective ritual happening all around me.

Book on your bedside right now?

The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard. It’s a meditation on how spaces shape imagination and memory.

One thing you pack always for travel?

A cashmere sweater with a scent of home.

Favourite place in Italy to visit?

Tuscany. Beyond the mastery of the artisans, there’s the landscape, rolling hills, the play of light that reminds you why beauty and craft matter.

What’s harder, designing shoes or handbags?

Shoes are technically more complex, they are architecture for the body, where the smallest detail influences balance, comfort, and movement. Handbags, meanwhile, offer more freedom in construction, but their challenge lies in becoming a true signature of the brand.

The NEOUS woman in three words.

Curious, assured, timeless.

Proudest moment after NEOUS launch?

There isn't any single event, every challenge, the setbacks, risks and endless problem-solving, led to something tangible. Seeing women wear NEOUS and make it part of their lives felt like the ultimate reward for pushing through the difficult moments.

What’s next on your mood board?

Light and shadow remain central, I’m fascinated by the tension between absence and presence, and how minimal gestures can define form. Alongside this, I’ve been revisiting mid-century masters like Isamu Noguchi, whose ability to merge sculpture with function feels endlessly relevant, and the organic restraint of Alvar Aalto and Charlotte Perriand.

Their work, much like nature itself, is about balance, raw materials refined into forms that feel timeless. Architecture and nature are constant references for me, but right now I’m drawn to how these mid-century voices captured purity and impact through simplicity.