Welcome to Singapore! Is this your first time here?
I actually come to Singapore about once a month, sometimes once every three weeks. What I love are your hawker centres, how multi-cultural the country is, and did you know I can handle chilli? I love food!

You once said, now that La Perla’s returned into the family business, it’s all about drawing the focus from sexuality to sensuality. How are you making that happen?
La Perla has a history of about 61 years, but we were never about sexuality, it was always about sensuality: making a woman feel feminine, comfortable and the best she can be. We still focus on these things – but as times change, the position of women in society, business, politics evolve, then therefore fashion evolves with that. So now while lingerie remains our core business, we focus on items we call ‘In and Out’ – which is basically the evolution of lingerie as outerwear.

Like the camisole I am wearing now? It’s a pyjamas really, but when it’s so beautiful and refined – you can wear it outside as part of your daily wardrobe. For more elaborate outerwear we have Swarokvski jumpsuits, merged traditional materials with newer ones such as neoprene, and even used the wetsuit material on pants and jackets. This is our mission: to make lingerie fashionable.

Tell us about the upcoming launch of your largest La Perla boutique worldwide, at Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.
It’s currently still being built and will open at the end of September. I find that the energy you have in Asia you don’t find anywhere else in the world, also, when you compare a low period in Hong Kong and a low period in Europe – oh boy, Asia’s still flying much higher. La Perla always used to pick rather small locations for their boutiques, but we can’t showcase the full strength of a collection since we are limited in space. 

We hear the boutique will take up four floors – what can we expect?
We’ve asked Roberto Baciocchi to design the Times Square boutique; he’s had such great experience since he also worked on interiors for Miu Miu and Prada. On the ground floor, you’ll find a mix of men’s and women’s mainly focusing on fashion items and the ‘In and Outs’; the second floor is solely dedicated to women; third floor to men; and the fourth floor for the VIPs.

Through these we’ll really be able to showcase La Perla’s variety – from our atelier line, perfumes, accessories and shoes, to future sunglasses and bags that we are now developing, which will be in store by the September opening.

So, how would Chiara explore this mammoth luxury block?
I would look at both men’s and women’s – since some of the menswear are beautiful enough to be worn on women! Like we’ve these incredible robes with fascinating prints that both men and women buy into. Then I’ll go to the top floor and work my way down, starting with the VIP room and exclusive pieces on the top floor, atelier and made-to-measure items. I’ll also stop by the men’s store, just to see how a whole floor can be dedicated to menswear that not many people have heard of, right? And of course down to the women’s floor where I’ll probably spend a few hours there.

Tell us more about the made-to-measure line you’ve just talked about.
Well, you can basically pick from three key pieces. First is the beautiful camisole I’m wearing today, we call it the Maison Gold Edition. You’ll love the 24-carat gold lace for the embroidery, get to pick the colour of your silk and tulle, then decide where to have your initials put.

The second is what we call the Crystallo Nero. It’s made of three pieces – a bandeau, long sleeved deep V-neck body, and sleeveless body with a boat cut. That’s using a very thin, stretchy net where we stick black Swarovski crystals one by one.

And finally you have the Gold Fili Grane – a bra-and-panty set with a tulle base. We use very thin gold silk, 24-carat gold embroidery of macramelle lace on top – it’s almost like flowers, and when you lift it up it weighs literally nothing at all.

Your Spring/Summer15 campaign featured male model, Richard Biedul – a first for the brand.
The men’s line is something that La Perla always did but never actively advertised. In the past we focused on basics: boxers, t-shirts, pyjamas, underpants and bathing suits. Then we took that aside; got a proper designer, gave it an identity that represented La Perla and the result is the collection we presented last year at Pitti Uomo Fashion Week in Florence, our first time there, and showcasing luxury leisure wear. 

At 25, you’re one of the youngest management directors we’ve met. Does this help when it comes to bringing La Perla into newer, younger markets?
I think so, because in the past La Perla was always associated to much older women. But I think as times change, the younger generation of women have good spending power and they like to treat themselves – to look and feel beautiful. It’s a brand for all women, and this can also be seen in our ad campaigns. In the past three seasons we’ve been using models from all ethnicities, cultures, backgrounds and lifestyles – Cara Delevingne in her early 20s, Liu Wen in her mid 20s, and Malgosia Bela in her 30s. La Perla has something for everybody – there’s nobody that knows a woman’s body like we do.

You work in a family business, how do you find that?
My family and I are very close – I’ve a younger sister and brother, and I speak to my parents nearly every other day. They encourage me with what I’m doing, and yet they are also the first people to tell me to slow down if I’m travelling too much, not sleeping enough, making sure I’m eating and take care of myself.

When you live so far away from home, you need a really good reason. For me, it’s that I really love my job; it’s something that really satisfies me. A family business is a huge motivation of course, but I need to feel what I’m doing makes me grow as a person. The day I stop feeling I’m learning, that’s when I’ll re-evaluate.

What are your favourite La Perla pieces?
The Maison is a classic – one of those pieces that all women should have in their wardrobe. You can wear it just as it is, under a see-through shirt, with a pair of jeans, or even with a beautiful evening gown. Most recently, Beyonce wore a top-to-toe look from our atelier collection to the recent Grammys, other celebrities who wear La Perla include Naomi Campbell, Jessie J, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and many more.