In Conversation With Margherita Bachini: From Her Grandmother's Sewing Machine to Her Own Brand

As a part of DEPLÜME’s “Chi Tutto Spera, Tutto Ottiene” series, our co-founder Nici went to Rome to meet Margherita Bachini, founder of Mila Studio, at her showroom. Margherita grew up watching her grandmother Mila sew, and inherited far more than a sewing machine when she passed. For years, fear kept her dream of starting her own brand private — until, in November 2025, she finally faced it and let Mila Studio become real. 

This is her chapter of chi tutto spera, tutto ottiene. 

What did you think you were learning from your grandmother back then — and what do you realise now you were actually learning?

Credevo, vedendola crescere, e crescendo insieme a lei, che avrei avuto molto tempo per imparare da lei tutto quello che le ho visto fare nell'arco della mia crescita. Ad un certo punto mi sono resa conto che il tempo non sarebbe stato infinito. Quindi il grande insegnamento in realtà che mi ha lasciato è quello di credere nei propri sogni e di rincorrerli fin quando non si realizzano.

As I grew up alongside her, I always thought I would have plenty of time to learn everything I had watched her do throughout my life. At a certain point, I realised that time would not be endless. The greatest lesson she left me, then, was to believe in your dreams and keep pursuing them until they become real.

What's a phrase or habit of hers that you find yourself repeating today?

Non c'è una frase precisa, però ricordo che quando ero piccola e andavo in giro per la città insieme a lei, mi rendevo conto che veniva molto guardata per il suo modo particolare di vestirsi, ed ero un po' scettica nel giudizio che gli altri magari avevano con uno sguardo di lei; fin quando ho imparato che essere differenti fa paura, ma se è quello che si sente dall'interno è giusto distinguersi dalla massa.

There isn’t one specific phrase, but I remember that when I was little and walked around the city with her, I noticed how much attention she attracted because of the way she dressed. At first, I was a little uncomfortable with the way people might look at or judge her. Over time, though, I learned that being different can be intimidating, but if something feels true to who you are, it is worth standing apart from the crowd.

Was there a fear that kept the dream private for so long?

Il sogno di creare, di esprimere la mia creatività è durato molti anni e dura ovviamente tutt’ora. Quello che mi faceva più paura era l'idea di poter smettere di sognare per via dell'impatto che avrei avuto sul resto del mondo, quindi ho rimandato per tanti anni l'idea di esprimermi artisticamente tramite il creare abbigliamento, in quanto avevo paura di smettere di sognare e quindi ho rimandato assai questo momento.

The dream of creating and expressing my creativity lasted for many years, and of course it is still very much alive today. What frightened me most was the idea that, by making that dream real and exposing it to the outside world, I might somehow stop dreaming. For years, that fear made me postpone expressing myself artistically through clothing, and I kept putting off the moment when I would finally begin.

You inherited her sewing machine after she passed. Can you tell me about that moment?

In quel momento ho peccato di potere, ho pensato che ereditando la sua macchina da cucire avrei immediatamente assunto le capacità che ella stessa aveva, dopo tante notti insonni dove ho pensato forse di essere invincibile, mi sono accorta che la capacità di cucire è una materia molto complessa e non essendo io una persona particolarmente paziente, dopo tante notti divertenti mi sono accorta che cucire non fosse proprio il mio.

When I inherited my grandmother’s sewing machine, I had a moment of vanity. I thought that by inheriting the machine, I would somehow inherit her talent too. After many sleepless nights, during which I briefly convinced myself I might be invincible, I realised that sewing is far more complex than it looks. I am not an especially patient person, and although those nights were often fun, I eventually understood that sewing simply was not for me.

Was there a specific point where the grief turned into motivation?

Il momento in cui ho capito che avrei dovuto insistere nel mio sogno, nel realizzarlo e nel renderlo concreto ed operativo, non è collegato troppo al lutto e all'essere venuta a mancare di mia nonna; ma bensì al fatto che avendola vista malata per molti anni, ho capito che tutto quello che diamo per scontato quotidianamente nelle nostre capacità a un certo punto venga a mancare, e che quindi il tempo che tanto credevo di avere in realtà ce l'ho e ce n'è ancora tanto sicuramente, ma non è tanto quanto tutti noi pensiamo e che quindi non bisogna dare per scontate le giornate che passano ma investire in esse, coltivando e realizzando i propri sogni.

The moment I understood that I had to keep pursuing my dream, and turn it into something real and tangible, was not directly connected to the grief of losing my grandmother. It came more from having watched her live with illness for many years. Seeing that made me realise that so many of the abilities we take for granted every day can eventually be taken away from us. I had always believed I had endless time, and of course I still have time ahead of me, but not as much as we tend to think.

That awareness taught me not to take my days for granted, but to invest them in nurturing my ambitions and giving my dreams a real form.

Why November 2025? What was the switch after years of waiting?

È una domanda simpatica perché è quella che più spesso mi viene posta da diverse persone ed il motivo è molto banale ma molto consistente e pieno di vita in realtà. Banalmente, casualmente, nell'estate del 2025 un mio amico in una chiacchierata leggera serale, mi chiese quale fosse il mio futuro immaginario e dove volessi arrivare. Io gli dissi che il mio sogno già da quando ero bambina era quello di aprire un brand, ma che stavo aspettando il momento giusto e che tutto fosse perfetto. E lui mi disse una frase molto comune ma piena di sostanza, ovvero: “sai che fin quando non provi non saprai mai se stai facendo bene?!” , quella frase così banale e volendo apparentemente scontata mi ha fatto capire che per me era arrivato il momento giusto e così da settembre 2025 ho iniziato a lavorare alla collezione invernale che poi per motivi di tempistiche operative è uscita ed emersa in novembre.

It is a funny question because it is the one people ask me most often. The reason is actually very simple, but also very meaningful. During the summer of 2025, a friend casually asked me how I imagined my future and where I wanted to end up. I told him that, ever since I was a child, my dream had been to create my own brand, but that I was waiting for the right moment, when everything felt perfect. He replied with a very common phrase: “Until you try, you will never know whether you are doing the right thing.”

It may sound obvious, but it made something click for me. I realised that the right moment had finally arrived. So, in September 2025, I began working on the winter collection, which was then launched in November because of the practical time needed to bring it to life.

Why are you happy now that you overcame this fear?

Il cambiamento di vita che ho fatto da quando ho smesso di avere questa paura, è proprio quello di rendere concreto quello che prima era solo nel mio immaginario. Quindi immaginavo di creare degli abiti che mai avevo creato e il fatto che invece se ora ho un'idea la metto in atto, mi dà un motore più consistente nel continuare a svolgere quello che ho iniziato a svolgere a novembre del 2025.

The biggest change in my life since I stopped being afraid has been turning what once existed only in my imagination into something real. I used to imagine creating clothes I had never actually made; now, if I have an idea, I act on it. That gives me a much stronger drive to keep pursuing the path I started in November 2025.

Margherita grew up watching her grandmother Mila create clothes with a precision and elegance that shaped how she would come to see the world. She assumed, as children often do, that there would always be enough time to learn everything from her, until she understood that time isn't infinite, and that the truest lesson she learnt from her grandmother was: believe in your dreams, and keep chasing them until they become real.

That lesson sat with her quietly for years. She always kept her dream close but private, until the fear of never trying became bigger than the fear of trying.

After her grandmother's passing, Margherita inherited her sewing machine, half-believing the skill would come with it. It didn't. And when she admitted it, she learned something more valuable than technique: what pushed her forward was watching her grandmother live with illness for years, and the realisation that the time she assumed she had unlimited access to was never a guarantee. 

The actual turning point happened almost accidentally. It was a casual conversation with a friend in the summer of 2025 and one rather “plain” but powerful sentence: you'll never know if you're doing it right until you try. In September, Margherita was working on her first collection. By November 2025, Mila Studio was born.

Today, she describes her brand as one that isn't made to please everyone. It's made for people who recognize care, authenticity and clothing that carries the energy of the person who made it.

Chi tutto spera, tutto ottiene. Margherita hoped quietly for years, and now, she's obtaining it.