Greta Futura is one of those multifaceted people who revolve around “creating,” intended as building something.

A personality who found that she is free from judgment, her own or other people’s, and discovered the importance of support.
A young woman who, through the “Mulieris” project, has given life to a magazine, a community that wants to break down criticism and discrimination in the name of total equality.
A photographer and a model who represents, embraces and supports diversity and incisiveness; in other words, normality.
A fashion enthusiast who has experimented and built a wardrobe where different styles and years find the right space (although leather jackets have a place of honor), where vintage is enhanced and the only trend that matters is to wear what makes her feel good.

We entered her space with our In Da Closet project to discover Greta’s style and, above all, to discover Greta in her entirety and creativity.

What was your style/closet like, growing up? And how has it changed over the years?

I wish I could say that I’ve always had my own style and the confidence to express myself through it, but the truth is that in the first years of my teenagehood my closet tried to homologate in every way possible to that of my peers. Initially, I was really into the idea, “I need to homologate with the current trends and, above all, with what the girls in my city wear,” I didn’t really like to stand out, and this seemed to me like a good way to blend with the crowd, starting from my look. Obviously, as I’ve always felt different from the crowd, I actually had a desperate need to show my uniqueness also through my clothes, so right after this brief teenage phase, I started to wear what I wanted whenever I wanted, no middle ground. However, I think the real exploration towards my own style happened as soon as I moved from my hometown; maybe after that, I felt much freer to be myself, or I’d simply shook the fear of other people’s judgment off me. 

How would you describe your relationship with fashion?

I’ve always hated whoever described fashion as something superficial. To my eyes, it’s always been a form of art, therefore a form of self-expression. Fashion supported and walked along with many individual and social revolutions, and it’s a piece of the puzzle of our life, whether we decide to participate in it or not; whichever aesthetic choice we make, even though unconscious, is somehow dictated by it. 

“To my eyes, it’s always been a form of art, therefore a form of self-expression. Fashion supported and walked along with many individual and social revolutions, and it’s a piece of the puzzle of our life.”

“I’d simply shook the fear of other people’s judgment off me.”

What are the items/accessories that best represent your style?

A clothing item that fully describes me is a leather jacket, I have many of those, in all colors, it’s an item I’ve loved since I was a kid, maybe also because I’ve always mainly listened to rock music and a leather jacket was somehow that clothing item that I associated to all the artists I listened to, that item that represented their desire to be free. 

What’s your everyday look?

Jeans, T-shirt/blouse, jacket. 

What are the three must-haves in your closet?

Colored blazers, skirts, a leather jacket. 

“A leather jacket was somehow that clothing item that I associated to all the artists I listened to, that item that represented their desire to be free.“

Have you ever had a fashion or closet-related epic fail?

I think I had a thousand of those in the years I experimented with every possible style, raiding second-hand markets and taking home the oddest items. 

What’s the clothing item or accessory that would deserve a closet of its own?

The indigo/light blue coat by Burberry, I can’t even describe its color, but I love it. 

What’s the clothing item you’d want to get rid of, but can’t?

There’s a series of those, they’re often clothes that don’t fit me anymore or that I buy because I like them even though they’re not my size. Right now I have a pair of Marc Ellis shoes with a geometric-shaped heel that is one size bigger than mine. 

If you could wear only one brand from now on, which one would you choose and why?

This is a very tough question because the truth is I hardly ever choose an item for its brand, it’s often something I notice afterward. However, since I was a kid, watching the various red carpets, I’ve always told myself that if I was ever to become a notable person, I would want to forever be dressed by Versace, or only by friends of mine, independent designers. I know that these two things are not related, but they’re sort of the expression of my ideas. 

You have a last-minute event and you’re not home: where would you go for an “emergency” shopping session?

I’d go to any vintage or thrift store, I’d try them all; however, I rarely buy last minute, if a last-minute event turns up, I try and find something in my closet, there’s always an extra outfit I’ve never had the chance to wear. 

In your closet, you have too many of?

Leather jackets, for sure. 

What’s your “special” bag?

A round-shaped Louis Vuitton bag that belonged to my mom. 

Sneakers or high heels?

I wish I could answer “high heels,” but it would be a purely aesthetic choice, at the end of the day I choose comfort for my everyday life, even though I mostly wear ankle boots rather than sneakers. 

Your must-have accessory. 

Earrings, of all kinds. 

Color block or black?

Color block. 

“I choose comfort for my everyday life, even though I mostly wear ankle boots rather than sneakers.“

How often do you reorganize your closet?

Tidiness is not exactly my thing, I can only be organized at work. In all other areas of my life, the more I tidy up and organize, the more I find myself in chaos, but I try, closet included. 

Is your closet a sacred place or do you let other people (besides us) inside as well?

I let anyone who wants inside, and I always lend my friends clothes if they ask, I’m not possessive nor jealous of my things, especially if they’re material things. Every now and then I ask myself, “Would it be a tragedy if I lost or if they stole this one thing from me, would I be less than what I am?” and the answer is almost always “no;” it’s an exercise that helps you detach from what’s material and become aware of what really matters and what makes us who we are. 

What’s currently on top of your fashion wish list?

Paloma Wool, every item. 

“I ask myself, ‘Would it be a tragedy if I lost or if they stole this one thing from me, would I be less than what I am’?”

What’s the item for which you’re saving space in your closet?

I think I’ll soon need to buy another closet. Anyway, I need a new pair of trousers, right now I only have two. 

Describe your closet in one word. 

Wide. I’m not talking about space, though. What I mean is that you can find a bit of everything in it, of all genres and all eras. 

A look from a movie or TV series that left you speechless. 

Sharon Stone’s white outfit in “Basic Instinct.”

The book on your nightstand right now. 

“Invisible Women” by Caroline Criado Perez.

“Wide. I’m not talking about space, though. What I mean is that you can find a bit of everything in it, of all genres and all eras.” 

The superpower in your closet (the one you have or wish you had).

I think its superpower is being very adjustable, and the one I wish it had would be to self-reorganize. 

Your favorite vintage stores in Italy and in the world. 

I go to fairs and flea markets more often than I go to shops, ever since I’ve lived in Milan, I’ve mostly been going to the Saturday market on the Navigli. 

What does “feeling comfortable in your own skin” mean to you?

It means not to feel limited by my own judgment and that of other people, to be able to decide how much of myself I want to show and how to do it with no pressure, to exist in my skin while being free from all that social weight put on the way that skin should look like. 

“To exist in my skin while being free from all that social weight put on the way that skin should look like.” 

How do you take care of yourself?

By taking some time to only think about myself, whether it is by writing, reading, doing a facial, going to my favorite place, any action that could make me feel 100% focused on myself. 

“Creativity:” what is it to you and how do you best express it?

The meaning of the word lays in the word itself: creativity means to create, it has to do with a personal building process of ideas, whether it is pure thoughts or something that will then become material. 

When and how did the need to found “Mulieris” come to you? 

I vividly remember a conversation I had at that time while at home in Bologna, with my partner and friend Sara Lorusso, where I told her about the need that I felt to do something that went beyond our work as photographers and that could embrace a community, a digital platform specifically. As I knew about other already existing platforms, I thought it would have been nice to create something similar together in Italy, so we got down to work, we started brainstorming ideas. I came up with a starting point, but everything that Mulieris has later become comes from all the collective needs we tried to give substance to in our project together as a team, equals. 

“Creativity means to create, it has to do with a personal building process of ideas, whether it is pure thoughts or something that will then become material.”

“Mulieris” is a magazine, a community, a space where women can talk to anybody, regardless of their gender: what were the difficulties and the hardest prejudices to defeat? And what would a real change be, according to you? 

There have been and there are so many prejudices. I’ve been a victim myself of a number of those in the past, and I believe that many of us have found ourselves questioning our own ideals at a certain point in our lives. Obviously, to create a project like this means to put yourself at the closest level to everything we deal with, but that’s also one of the reasons why criticism (not the constructive, but the destructive one) feels like stab wounds. 

We often find ourselves in front of people who accuse us of feminism almost as if it were an authoritarian regime ready to instill certain ideas in people’s minds, and I think one of the biggest and hardest prejudices to defeat has to do with the essence of feminism, the acknowledgment that it needs equality, of a kind that can benefit everybody, men included.

We don’t fight against men, but we fight against the patriarchal society which damages both sexes. It often happens, instead, that this battle is very superficially considered just a war between women and men. 

What’s the latest thing you’ve discovered about yourself?

I’ve looked at this question for a few minutes before answering it. It’s often hard to admit some new discoveries about yourself. I’ve always felt like a very self-conscious person, both about the dark and the good side of my personality. One thing I recently found out about myself is how essential support is to me. I’ve always been an independent person, and I used to think that “support” would have made me less strong and much less independent. Actually, support from a community, a friend, people who love you, strengthen your independence, and it doesn’t put it in danger, contrary to what I thought. It’s certainly something that I discovered thanks to Mulieris: it gave me so much strength to see how we were able to create this energy exchange together, how we were able to inspire others and be inspired in turn. I discovered how much society needs mutual support, as well as individuals, do in their private and social life. 

What is the future of fashion and communication in your opinion?

If I want to think positive, the future of fashion and communication is destined to be focused on whatever is “normal” and “real.” We’re sick of the representation of unreachable ideals. We’re tired of what’s fake. We’re more conscious of what we want to enjoy. Obviously, social media have made us keener to be overloaded with information and advertisement, but they’ve also turned us not only into passive users of the news but also into creators of the news, allowing us to express and correct what we dislike about past and modern communication. 

“I discovered how much a society needs mutual support, as well as individuals, do in their private and social life.” 

What’s the message you want to communicate as a model?

Initially, I was ashamed to call myself a model because every time I said, “I worked as a model for X” I could visualize the doubtful expression of who was listening to me and trying to figure out how someone looking the way I look, which is exactly the opposite of every aesthetic standard required to models, could be a model. I actually think it’s very important to embrace this role with no shame, I’m not only this but also this. I find it vital to be able to recognize myself in this role in order to be able to represent those who could somehow recognize themselves in me.

In my life, growing up, I’ve never dreamt nor thought to become a model, it was crazy to me as I had this idea of a model in mind coming from how I saw it represented everywhere, that prevented my mind to even just wish something like that because it was not an option from the start. I hope that my role, like that of anyone who challenges the standards that have been imposed so far, is that of conveying the message that we all need a different kind of representation, and that these are only the first baby steps we’re taking towards a more inclusive narrative. 

“I hope that my role, like that of anyone who challenges the standards that have been imposed so far, is that of conveying the message that we all need a different kind of representation, and that these are only the first baby steps we’re taking towards a more inclusive narrative.” 

What’s the most beautiful clothing item you’ve ever worn (for work purposes or in your private life)? 

I’m madly in love with the coat I’ve mentioned before, my Burberry coat which comes in a color I can’t even define, I don’t know if it’s the most beautiful I have, but it’s the item I identify with the most. 

What are your future projects?

I’ve just started this adventure with my modeling agency, Monster Badd, and the Bold talent agency, I’m curious about where these two paths will lead to and about the projects we’re developing together. As for Mulieris, the “Shame” issue is scheduled to be released in 2021, we’ve worked a lot on it, we really gave all ourselves to create this issue and I hope that, when it comes out, it can be helpful to who reads it. We work on these issues with so much dedication and attention that every release feels to us like the birth of a baby in this world. 

Photos & Video by Johnny Carrano.

Follow Greta here.