For anyone interested in menswear or thinking about studying fashion, the journey toward finding your own voice is rarely straightforward. For Samuele, known as Misa, that journey began with wanting something different from what his hometown expected of him.
In this interview, we look at his early influences, the streetwear moment that first sparked his interest in design, and how moving to London became the turning point in his growth as a designer.
The Spark: How a Hoodie Changed Everything
Growing up in Milan, a city synonymous with fashion yet bound by deeply conservative norms, Samuele always felt the tension between who he was and who he was expected to be. As a child, he expressed himself through drawing. As a teenager, he tried to conform to Milan’s rigid codes of menswear. But the more he tried to blend in, the more he felt the disconnect.
Everything shifted the day he saw a friend wearing an Off-White hoodie. The bold graphic language, the unapologetic visual identity, and the sense of art printed onto a garment opened a door he didn’t know existed. At fifteen, he discovered Virgil Abloh, and through him, the world of fashion.
That moment became the catalyst for everything that followed. He bought a sewing machine, began experimenting with patchwork, customising garments, and eventually creating pieces for Italian rappers. Fashion became his canvas, a way to speak to the younger version of himself who once felt lost in the search for identity.
For Samuele, fashion design isn’t about dressing others. It’s about expressing the self. “I design for that 15-year-old kid,” he says, the one who didn’t fit into Milan’s expectations. Fashion became a way to reclaim space, to push back against the norms that once tried to shrink him.
London: A Breath of Creative Air
Coming from Milan, London felt like liberation. Within his first week, two strangers stopped him on the street to compliment his trousers, something unimaginable back home. In Milan, he received stares. In London, he received encouragement.
“I always say I can breathe creativity in the air here,” he explains. The diversity, the open-mindedness, the freedom of expression. London became the place where he could finally exist without shrinking himself.
Read on Westminster Fashion: What It’s Like to Study Fashion in London?
University of Westminster: Where Technique Met Identity
London was originally a practical choice, and Westminster quickly proved to be exactly the right environment. Its reputation for technical excellence is well-known in the industry. Pattern cutting, construction, and craftsmanship are the foundations the university is famous for, and they became the foundations of his identity as a designer.
He speaks highly of Westminster’s facilities, from the 3D workshop to the print studio and the spacious menswear workrooms. Having access to such specialised tools and technicians allowed him to experiment freely and translate ideas into refined, technically strong garments.
“I don’t think any other uni in London offers this level of technical focus,” he says. Where some courses push conceptual boundaries above all else, Westminster balances creativity with craft, something that resonated deeply with him.
The MA was a natural continuation. After finishing his BA, he felt he wasn’t done. He wanted to mature, refine his aesthetic, and learn how to translate ideas into real, marketable products. The menswear archive, the facilities, the technicians, the environment, everything aligned with the direction he wanted to grow.
The BA Journey: Craft, Growth, and the Industry
“For me, BA was like a crescendo,” he says. “I started from a blank sheet. I didn’t know anything about the craft.” In his first year, he learned the foundations: pattern cutting, sewing, and the technical skills needed to turn ideas into real garments. “Project by project, I learned how to develop my design aesthetic and root my ideas in meaningful, relevant research.”
One of his earliest breakthroughs came during a project called Modernity. Students analysed vintage garments found around London and used their details to design new pieces. “That’s where I made the first pair of trousers I really liked, they were white with a really intricate pocket design.”
His year‑long placement was just as transformative, a sequence of experiences that shaped his confidence and understanding of the industry:
- Nozomi Ishiguro, “I won a competition the uni offered, so they paid me for three months to work in a leather brand.” He learned leatherwork, accessory-making, and hands-on craft.
- Victoria Beckham, “I learned a lot about cutting, fabrics, and how big studios are run.”
- Carne Archive, “My favourite experience.” A small, up‑and‑coming brand where he went to South Korea for three months and did everything from pattern cutting to designing and styling. “It was so hands‑on.”
“I’m still in really good relationships with all the people I worked with during that year. It made me grow a lot as a student and made me feel already part of the industry, and now I know what the industry is actually going to look like when I step into it.”
Returning for the final year was intense. “I learned how to manage my stress, my time, and the workload. I survived last year, so now with the MA final collection it’s like: same thing, different day, just more work.” He explains that the BA was more conceptual, while the MA feels more product‑driven, which makes the work clearer and easier to realise.
MA vs BA: A Shift in Maturity
The difference between BA and MA wasn’t about difficulty; it was about expectation. In the MA, you’re treated as a designer. The work has to be more mature, more professional, more grounded in reality. The workload is heavier, but the purpose is clearer.
His favourite projects reflect this shift:
- Final Collection, where he feels most aligned with his identity
- McQueen Tailoring Project, a highlight that pushed his technical and creative boundaries
He’s honest about the journey too. Not every project lands the same way, and learning when to push and when to grind through is part of becoming a designer. Fashion school isn’t always glamorous, but the discipline of working through the harder moments is part of the craft itself.
Read more: How fashion schools are ranked?
The Fashion Show: Chaos, Adrenaline, and Growth
Being selected for the Westminster fashion show at Ambika P3 was a milestone and a crash course in the reality of runway production.
He created two additional looks in just a few weeks, finishing trousers the day before the show and sewing buttons backstage minutes before his models walked out. “It’s always last-minute,” he laughs. “And it’s like that in the industry too.”
Misa is currently preparing to showcase his MA collection potentially in Milan, a fitting full-circle moment as he brings his refined London education back to his hometown.
Creative Identity and the Future
His brand identity is evolving, rooted in craft, personal history, and the things that shape him. His target audience is young adults, mostly men, not out of exclusion but because he designs what he would wear himself.
The brand name has changed multiple times, from Steady Research to Samuele Ricchiuti, and is now evolving again into something more memorable and iconic.
Outside of fashion, Samuele also creates music under the name MISA, another outlet for his storytelling. Though he hasn’t released new tracks recently due to the intensity of MA work, music remains a core part of his creative identity and a future direction he hopes to return to.
Long-term, he dreams of building a platform that goes beyond fashion: furniture, objects, collectables, music, anything that lets him keep telling stories.
But he’s realistic. Starting a brand without financial backing, he says, doesn’t end well. So the plan is to work in the industry first, learn, grow, and eventually build something sustainable.
Read more: What Happens After a Fashion Degree?
What He Wishes He Knew Earlier
Fashion is problem-solving. Nothing goes as planned. And that’s okay.
Instead of seeing obstacles as failures, he now sees them as part of the journey, the point of the journey, even. “Think of it like you’re running to discover the problems, not to avoid them.”
One of the most powerful lessons he shares is the acceptance that becoming a designer is a lifelong process. “You’re not a designer yet, you’re learning how to be one,” he says. Embracing mistakes, seeing problems as part of the journey, and letting go of perfectionism became essential to his growth.
He also emphasises:
- Stop comparing yourself
- Be kind to yourself
- Stay true to your vision
- Experiment without fear
- Accept the sacrifices, the sleep, the stress, the breakdowns
Because if you truly love it, it’s worth it.
A Life of Sacrifice for Beauty
Fashion, for Samuele, isn’t just a career. It’s a life of sacrifice for beauty, a phrase he quotes from Yohji Yamamoto, and one that perfectly captures his ethos.
From Milan to London, from conformity to self-expression, from sewing machines in his bedroom to international runways, his journey is a testament to resilience, craft, and the courage to become who you are.
