An American mother of four, Kelly Russell first moved to Milan almost two decades ago as a print and runway model, but she left fashion far behind for life devoted to business, philanthropy, and motherhood, driven by her Alabama-raised, can-do spirit. Today, she directs the Fondazione Riccardo Catella alongside her husband, an organization that aims to promote environmental and sustainable best practices throughout the city. The pair has also managed the ambitious development of the Porta Nuova district in Milan, as well as several projects throughout Italy, through their real estate company COIMA, where she serves as the marketing and communication director.
Many years ago, I was lucky enough to be one of Armani’s fit models. I learned a lot from him as I stood around getting clothes pinned on me. His sales strategies still influence my thinking today.
I believe that as the urban population grows, cities need to be places that people enjoy living in.
For one of our big projects, we planted an enormous field of wheat in the heart of Milan in just 6 weeks with 5000 volunteers. A public park that wasn’t ready for Expo gave us the chance to create this installation that spoke to Expo’s message of sustainable food.
A suit feels right because I work in a male-dominated environment. The important thing for me is that a piece is understated, like my favorite classic jacket from Armani.
To teach children to understand the food cycle, we’re working with schools to requalify courtyards as fruit and vegetable gardens. It’s a program to battle obesity, together with the ministry of education: kids work with their hands in the gardens, taking home the fruits and vegetables to their families. We’re working on our sixth garden in Milan.
We always try to involve citizens in our projects. Most people don’t understand the process of taking an urban area from grey to green– how it is that you turn cement into parks. For the new park we’re working on, citizens will be planting the trees and flowers, together with experts who will explain how to keep these plants alive and maintain the green spaces for years to come on behalf of citizens.
My family motivates me. We have a lot of kids– four together and one from my husband’s previous marriage– so we think a lot about how are they will experience this city in the future.
-Laura Rysman
