My Leap Into Design: Why Rome Was the Perfect Place

A year after completing Upper Secondary School in Sweden, I decided to continue my journey by studying shoe and accessory design at IED – Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome. But why shoe and accessory design? Why not art school or fashion school? And why Rome?

Since I was a child, I have loved accessories and details. I recall always preferring shoes, bags, and accessories over clothing. While we were in Peru, my mom and I would get matching bags, and I always got a mini version. I got my first mini leather bag in Peru, and I still have it today.

Peruvian Leather Bag

Before deciding what to study, I visited Rome several times and completely fell in love with the city. It simply felt like home. I had also learned a bit of Italian earlier in Upper Secondary School, and after enduring numerous dark and cold winters in Sweden, I longed to live in a warm and sunny country. That's why choosing to study shoe and accessories design in Rome came naturally to me.

During my time in Rome I lived with other students in shared housing, in Trastevere.

Trastevere is a neighborhood in Rome, known for restaurants, shops, trattorias and nightlife. My school was within walking distance, approximately a 15-20 minute walk away.

il Terazzo

This is the view I enjoyed from "Il Terrazzo," where we occasionally had dinner with friends or simply relaxed after a week of school.

During school breaks, I would often travel to Stockholm to visit my family.

ROME

My mom visited me in Rome multiple times.

We also spent a couple of days exploring Florence together.

FIRENZE

I truly cherished my time studying and living in Italy, as well as exploring other cities in the country. My studies were conducted in Italian, starting with an intensive Italian course over the summer before the semester began. Since I already spoke Spanish, learning Italian wasn’t too difficult, but I had to quickly adapt to both the language and the culture.

Italy's history, monuments, art, fashion, design, architecture, and culture are a constant source of inspiration. "Made in Italy" stands for quality with a rich history behind it.

There’s no doubt that Italy will continue to influence my work in the future.

In my next post, I'll be sharing my very first projects.