Leali’s background is that of highly respected creative consultant and stylist working on campaigns for big international brands and interior and food magazines all over Italy. Having commenced her studies at the Politecnico di Milano, the school that has taught a long list of Italy’s most famous architects and designers, she opted to travel and applied for a university exchange to RMIT in Melbourne, arguably Australia’s leading design school. During her year there she fell in love with the laid-back Australian lifestyle and what she considers a very free approach to design, unencumbered by the historical precedents that often bogs down the process in Italy. ‘Coming from a country with a long history and a huge tradition in the design field, I was used to long periods of research and analysis. The Australian experience prepared me to engage in the design process with more of an enthusiastic curiosity. I feel the mix of the two academic experiences has defined my professional approach”.

This appreciation of Australia made her the ideal choice when SP01 was looking for a stylist for its first show in Milan in 2017. It was such a successful marriage of minds between her and SP01 Creative Director, Matt Lorrain, that she has become a permanent feature in the creation of the brand’s identity, to the degree that the SP01 team can’t imagine presenting new products without her.

Her imaginative process has been pivotal in the development of the overall look of SP01 - something she puts down to being a good listener and her obsession with detail. “Sometimes coming up with the ideas for a brand’s look can be a very spontaneous and easy process that comes naturally, or sometimes it takes a lot more effort, but it always requires delving into the details including the history of the brand, special manufacturing processes and the brand’s core ethos,” she says.

While there is no denying that building a brand image from scratch takes hard work Leali suggests that the best collaborations come from an open exchange of ideas. 

When asked about her own personal influences Leali could write a book but when all is distilled, she acknowledges the masters of timeless architecture, contemporary decorators that mix styles and colours and materials, and nature to be a huge source of inspiration. “If you are a curious person anything can be inspirational and influence what you do,” she says. 

An avid traveller, Leali often plan trips around Europe to pick up ideas for shoots and enjoy the cultural contrasts when moving from one country to the next. She recently visited Turkey, travelling by car from the coast to the Cappadocia region, which she found to be an incredibly inspiring cultural melting pot. “I collaborate with companies in the field of design, not only furniture companies but also home accessories, and they generally involve some sort of feeling of the handcrafted,’ she says, ‘and Turkey, with its long history of incredible artisanal skills was really exciting to see first-hand.” 

It’s this sort of enthusiasm and curiosity that has made Leali such an integral part of the SP01 team. While the last couple of years have been a challenging environment for any young brand, the will to create things of beauty with an original authentic voice is stronger than ever.