.aesthetic talk
FRANCESCO RUGGIERO
*New World Order


written Chidozie Obasi

At a time when the climate of the global fashion industry is changing with an increasingly ferocious pace, there’s no doubting Francesco Ruggiero’s credentials are a welcome respite: the Padova-born, Milan-hailed multihyphenate knows how to swoon, surprise and stun with his arresting look, as a creative of great poise and drive; no mean feat in a world shaped by downturns.

 

Ruggiero, who moved to Santorini with his family aged one and then to Athens a few years later, has been on a restless pursuit to discover himself far beyond the highly-coveted fixtures of the modeling system, dwelling between joyful thrills and punchy feels in equal measure. “I've always been very open hearted and kind to people, even if I couldn't really tell if they just wanted things from me or not,” he freely admits, with no signs of peacocking braggadocio on display. Chronicling a career that could spark pangs of envy to many of his peers, Ruggiero has graced campaigns and runways of brands like Calvin Klein, Zara, Moncler, Giorgio Armani, Oliver Peoples, to name a few. But there’s more to the story, which you’ll possibly read here first. You’re welcome.

 
total look PRADA LE MILE Magazine Marcello Junior Dino SS25 Menswear Luxury Editorial

total look PRADA

 
jacket ANTONIO MARRAS, blazer DOLCE & GABBANA, gilet & tank top ETRO, denim TOD’S, shorts JIL SANDER by Lucie and Luke Meier, necklace SWAROVSKI LE MILE Magazine Marcello Junior Dino SS25 Menswear Luxury Editorial

jacket ANTONIO MARRAS
blazer DOLCE & GABBANA
gilet + tank top ETRO
denim TOD’S
shorts JIL SANDER by Lucie and Luke Meier
necklace SWAROVSKI

 
 


“I started giving more attention to my mental health through the whole process of growing up and the difficulties... now it's so much clearer on how to approach things and how to maintain my stability.”

Francesco Ruggiero speaks with Chidozie Obasi
LE MILE Magazine EPHEMERAL, Nr. 38

 
 
 
dark blazer THE FRANKIE SHOP, white blazer TAGLIATORE, shirt PAUL SMITH, pants THE LATEST, tie CELINE, loafers SEBAGO LE MILE Magazine Marcello Junior Dino SS25 Menswear Luxury Editorial

dark blazer THE FRANKIE SHOP
white blazer TAGLIATORE
shirt PAUL SMITH
pants THE LATEST
tie CELINE
loafers SEBAGO

 
 

Chidozie Obasi
First things first: How did you venture into modelling?
Francesco Ruggiero
I started in 2020, right before COVID struck. My sister had this crazy idea to go into an agency alone and sometimes, as they say, one never has to bring friends to castings and jobs. They ended up signing me and my sister, but she’s someone who hates the modeling process. After COVID, I quit my two jobs as a salesman and as a barman, and I understood that this industry had way more potential for me.

Where did you begin such a venture?
I started modelling in Greece, and I must admit I had a couple of wrong people that managed me at the beginning. I didn’t feel represented in the way I wanted, even though at the beginning it was very exciting. So when I came across the right people and the right conditions were met, it was a way to cope and do the things I wanted to do while being myself: I felt happy. I struggled a lot at the start because I did things I didn't care about for cheap prices as I didn't have money for the second part of COVID; I was in Milan, with three people in one bed, which was insane, but I would do it all over again. I'm now very grateful to be comfortable and carefree.


What does fashion mean to you?

It's a very distinct and specific way to express yourself. There's a big misconception that if one is a model, he doesn’t really care about style and fashion, or about the things around. For example, I caught myself buying cheap stuff like Zara, H&M or garments that don't last. I realised that it's my job to actually feel good in clothes. I want to be, to be represented by fashion as I represent it through the images I feature in, you know. So it's a tough gig, but at the same time I understood the value of spending more money and time to research the right pieces that made me feel even more connected to the product.

How has its significance changed for you over the years?
At the beginning, it was something very ephemeral, but then it evolved into this thing that's more and more compelling to use to learn, know, feel and see garments. For example, I was watching a movie the other day (Memories of Murder) and the clothes they wore were so important, an element which can be sometimes brushed aside in the cinema industry sometimes. But that's what separates the greatest people of the world.

 
coat & socks PAUL SMITH, sweater FEDERICO CINA, pants ACT N1, belt VERSACE, shoes DR MARTENS LE MILE Magazine Marcello Junior Dino SS25 Menswear Luxury Editorial

coat + socks PAUL SMITH
sweater FEDERICO CINA
pants ACT N1
belt VERSACE
shoes DR MARTENS

 
blazers & ties PAUL SMITH, top EXTREME CASHMERE, pants MOSCHINO, loafers SEBAGO LE MILE Magazine Marcello Junior Dino SS25 Menswear Luxury Editorial

blazers + ties PAUL SMITH
top EXTREME CASHMERE
pants MOSCHINO
loafers SEBAGO

 
 
 


“I've always been very open hearted and kind to people, even if I couldn't really tell if they just wanted things from me or not.”

Francesco Ruggiero speaks with Chidozie Obasi
LE MILE Magazine EPHEMERAL, Nr. 38

 
 
jacket CASCINELLI, sweater FEDERICO CINA, shirt TAKATURNA, waist sweater CATERPILLAR, pants SETCHU LE MILE Magazine Marcello Junior Dino SS25 Menswear Luxury Editorial

jacket CASCINELLI
sweater FEDERICO CINA
shirt TAKATURNA
waist sweater CATERPILLAR
pants SETCHU

What's the biggest pinch me moment of your career and journey?
I think it hasn't happened yet, I don't know why. Actually, I feel there’s been a couple, but it was never something I’d consider major, maybe because it's not the career I want to pursue for the rest of my life. I know I want to do it as well as possible, but I don’t want to be solely remembered for my beauty. I think seeing myself in a very different position would be super, like doing a fashion brand or a campaign. I think the biggest ones I would like would be either Bottega or Prada, because they’re not very me and it would be great to explore their aesthetic.

How about your most complex time?
When I was younger, because I had a very specific set of parents who are non-politically correct, as they grew up in difficult times. They all had to do their own thing in their own way. My mom had her first tattoo at 13. And so basically she was like the black sheep of the family and on the streets doing her own thing: growing up, she had to survive to get where she is. And my dad, on the other hand, was the opposite: he comes from a very wealthy family, but then just decided to do whatever and throw everything, whatever they gave him, and he became the black sheep, too. My dad is someone who moved to Mexico and lived there for 15 years. He was never there in a sense, but that's his personality. I met him better when I got older and I went there, at a time when I didn't see him for nearly a decade. But then on the other hand, my mom always loved us, because she changed a lot when she had us. However, she didn't have the means and it was even more difficult, because growing up, we wanted things that maybe we didn't have. But we adjusted and we were kind, especially to our mom, because she was alone; now she's like the most adorable, full of tattoos mom ever.

Any advice you'd give your younger self?
I would have loved to understand the people coming to me, what they actually need or what I could tell them differently.

How do you juggle mental health?
I started giving more attention to my mental health through the whole process of growing up and the difficulties. I had to meet my girlfriend three years ago to understand how important mental health was, especially for things that involve love and trust, because that's when it gets more serious trusting someone when you're so in love and you try to give everything. So I started psychology sessions and now I don't almost don't do them anymore. I only attend therapy sessions when I feel like I have to, but it has gotten me to a point where now it's so much clearer when on how to approach things and how to talk myself through things and how to maintain my stability or don't get angry, don't think too far ahead. I don’t overthink things because that was my main issue about everything.

So now tell me about the book. How did it come about?
The idea started around a couple of years ago, and it was a collection of pictures I had on my phone of lost things and randomly found objects from all over the world, from Los Angeles, Brazil, Mexico, to Iceland where I went for the first time. Objects include the likes of gloves, hats and whatever you can think of. One night I was scrolling through this album of 60-ish pictures with a friend who's a photographer, and we began writing down all the coordinates of where we found these objects - given the through line of my gallery is predominantly consumerist and materialistic. For every picture, we wrote a story of who might have lost the object, and every picture has a different writing. It then translated into more things, like a movie for the book in which the protagonist loses himself across time.

Any future hopes?
I think my biggest hope is to be wealthy enough to be comfortable. I would like to be comfortable in the way that nobody around me has to feel like a burden. At this moment and time, I’m here trying to figure out what I like exactly. And when I find that out, I would like to transition from being just a model. I don't think modelling will ever actually go away, because I like the idea and I like the retribution, obviously, and that I have to take care of myself, because I always like training. But I would like for my creative process to become the centre. Then all the rest is more than welcome to step in, as and when it wishes.

 

seen COSIMO BUCCOLIERI
fashion director + stylist CHIDOZIE OBASI
head of production JESSICA LOVATO
assistant editor DAVIDE BELOTTI
editorial coordinator NICOLÒ BATTISTINI
make up DIANA DJURDJEVSKI
hair DAVIDE PERFETTI
set designer IRENE COVERI
talent FRANCESCO RUGGIERO

production assistant Anja Menegon
photography assistant Antonio Crotti
set design assistant Giulia Pettinelli
fashion assistants Anna Sarr, Cloe Rubinato, Hamin Lee, Loris Vottero, Maria Teresa Jurado, Gaia Cirillo