... Let me tell you my story!
I began my professional life as a high-fashion model when I was very young, appearing in Rome and Paris on the mythical catwalks of the grand masters of haute couture. Of course, I also had the opportunity to walk one of the most truly international fashion stages of all: the Sala Bianca in Florence’s Palazzo Pitti.

Thanks to my upbringing and cultural background, I consider myself a citizen of “Mitteleuropa.” My formal education has made me cosmopolitan and international, and I am an artist because of the values and traditions passed down to me by my family. And it was here in Italy, in Florence, where I discovered my true passion in life: the desire to become a fashion designer!

Of course, I had already begun working in the magical world of high fashion. During my first year at Milan’s “La Cattolica” (the Sacred Heart Catholic University, where I studied languages, art and theater history), I had been “discovered” as a model. I had “debuted” on the Italian-state television network, RAI, sharing unforgettable moments alongside Johnny Dorelli, Enzo Jannacci, Walter Chiari, and many other stars. I had been elected Lady Universe. After several intense years before the footlights, I took my chance and made the huge leap from “object” to “subject,” diving into the world of haute couture as a freelance fashion designer.

My designs, which were launched in 1980 as a signature label, quickly reached the pinnacle of success. My designs were made for a woman’s woman: sure of herself, sophisticated but sporty, elegant and yet simple, glamorous designs, the stuff that dreams are made on. I began creating men’s fashions as well, conceived specifically to clothe the ideal “soul mate” of the woman for whom I designed.

I very quickly became one of the “great young hopes” of Italian fashion. My extremely personal design expressions were created for those whose desire was not solely to appear fashionable but who wanted to live fashion as a “way of life” and as the affirmation of personal choice. My designs challenge conformity: they are always modern even as they are steeped in intimations of age-old traditions. Always sophisticated, they are on the cutting-edge of fashion.

In 1983, on a visit to New York, I visited my long-time friend, the great pop artist and a true symbol of transgression, Andy Warhol. As a memento of our friendship, he made me the subject of an extraordinary pair of portraits, which soon became the “icons” of my label, and also photographed me for the cover of his cult magazine, Interview. Later, in the company of a group of his very trendy friends—some of the most celebrated elements of the artistic and cultural scene at the time—he attended my show in Milan. That very same night, Warhol became the undisputed star of an extremely glamorous evening that my maison organized in the private salon of the fashionable restaurant El Toulà (which Warhol mentioned in his The Andy Warhol Diaries).

It may strike some as a character defect, but I’m one of those people who is constantly looking for a new challenge. In 1985 I asked Arnaldo Pomodoro to “sculpt” a bottle for my line of perfume. The triangular shape he created reminds one of the pyramid with all its symbolism and mystery. The perfume itself, of course, is marvelous: a luxurious scent that literally takes your breath away!

I continued to express myself through my fashion designs: an experimental line of knitwear, elegant prêt-à-porter, a unique collection of evening gowns and sophisticated fancy leather goods. I designed a line of signature jeans and then moved on to wristwatches, ties, scarves, and sunglasses. I explored intimate wear and bathing suits and even home furnishings and décor. In all of this, my personal style was always fully visible: a blending of extravagance and functionality that creates something uniquely its own. I was and am often invited by the Italian Trade Commission or the Magliecalze Association (now the Italian Garment and Fashion Industry Federation) to speak or to take part in roundtables abroad in such places as London, Berlin, Cologne, Monaco and to represent the new generation of Italian designers and of the “fashion system.” The inspiration of Italian design and artistry has always been vitally important to me—otherwise, I would never have been able to experiment with materials of the most diverse kinds (a personality trait I’ve maintained over time!) or to “steal” here and there some precious secret jealously guarded by our extremely talented and creative artisans and artists!

During the1990s, years in which “minimalism” ruled the fashion world, I focused much of my effort on new markets in the East and in Asia, and mine was one of the first signature labels to carry the message of Italian haute couture to countries such as Russia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Japan, China, and even to Ulan Bator, the capital of far-away Mongolia.

In 1995, I received the prestigious Mela d’Oro from the Marisa Bellisario Foundation, a prize given to women who stand out for the inspiration and energy their success provides to Italian business.

Since 1990, as President of the Florence-Japan Association, I have promoted a number of high-profile cultural events in collaboration with the City of Florence, particularly those that involve the Sister Cities, Florence and Kyoto.

In 2000 I took on a brand-new and stimulating challenge: costuming for a number of theatrical productions, the most important of which was perhaps a full operatic version of Madame Butterfly. First presented at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago Puccini (near Viareggio), Madame Butterfly later toured the world, ultimately representing Italy at the Expo 2005 World’s Fair held in the Aichi Prefecture near Nagoya, Japan.

Once the Regina Schrecker label had achieved signature status in every conceivable way, and in order to satisfy an ever-expanding public, I unveiled my Regina Schrecker “Junior” Line in 2005, a light-hearted collection for children, the young rascals and the little princesses, typical as always of my desire to merge elegance and transgression.

In 2005 I also launched a new line of bridal wear. I unveiled my collection of extraordinary, Italian-made, and entirely hand-crafted gowns in a private fashion show at the ancient K?dai-ji Buddhist temple in Kyoto on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Florence/Kyoto Sister-City relationship.

During the first three months of 2006, I was deeply involved in designing fanciful costumes for the medieval opera Snow White, an educational project of the Province of Florence, the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Florence’s community theater), and Syracuse University (Florence campus). The world premiere of Snow White took place in the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino’s little theater, the “Teatro Piccolo.”

In 2006, I also received the “Profilo Donna” prize in Modena.

On February 14, 2007, almost as if a magical journey had come full circle, I opened the “I Grandi della Moda” (Giants of Fashion) conference at the Rondò di Bacco Theater in Florence’s Palazzo Pitti. There, in the place where, years earlier, I had first walked the runways as a high-fashion model and where I later appeared with my first collections as a designer, I decided to “tell my story” for perhaps the first time in my career, to reveal to a large public the steps I had taken along the way.

My great enthusiasm for “dressing” the home environment was confirmed in 2008 with a line of glamorous and elegant décor intended to reflect Italian design and manufacturing. I presented my new inspirations – which we named the Regina Schrecker Home Luxury Collection – in February at Florence’s Fortezza da Basso, an historical setting for international expositions of all kinds.