With Milan Fashion Week around the corner, Erika shares an insider view of what a designer trip to Italy is like.
Q: What’s Milan like during Fashion Week?
A: The city is full of energy—shops stay open late, and everyone wears their most striking outfits, so people-watching is endlessly inspiring. It’s also Lineapelle week, where I spend full days seeing and feeling the new leathers that will define the season ahead. And of course, the couture fashion shows I’m invited to are always a highlight.
Q: What’s a typical day like when you visit the factory?
A: The factory is about 45 minutes from Florence, so I get to stay in the city while I work. At the factory, I start in the showroom, trying prototypes and giving feedback—sometimes even marking my own foot to show where lines touch in sensitive areas. Then we head into the production floor—rows of stations where uppers are stitched, heels attached, and a dedicated station for our insoles, since that process is unique to Elizée. You can smell the leather and glue, it can be loud at times, but the space is full of energy, with centuries of craftsmanship coming together in one place.
Q: What’s your design process?
A: I travel often and take so many pictures—flowers, trees, skies, architecture, and textures I come across. Those images become the starting point for my moodboards. With that inspiration, I go to Lineapelle to explore the season’s new leathers. It’s exciting to see ideas from my photos take shape in real materials. For example, on a hike in Aspen I photographed rocks covered in ice, and those images later became metallics and snakeskin leathers in my first collection.
