You might not expect the headquarters of a Scottish fashion designer to be in a bohemian district of Milan, yet alongside chic bars and al fresco cafes is the home and office of Dundee-born Graeme Black.

To the untrained fashionista, the name may not mean much, but Black’s CV has the hallmarks of grandeur in the fashion world. For seven years, he worked as head designer for Giorgio Armani’s Black Label, then became head of womenswear at Salvatore Ferragamo, because he “wanted a bigger gig”. There he was responsible for the design one of the biggest luxury goods companies in the world.

Now he has his own design studio, and his clothes are worn by Victoria Beckham, Elle Macpherson and Queen Noor of Jordan, and sold worldwide from Browns in London to Neiman Marcus in America.

When I go to meet Black, he looks more like a fashion student than the former head of established fashion houses. He’s wearing tight-fitting black Balenciaga trousers, a Dior fitted shirt and Adidas shoes. As we sit on a velvet sofa in his home just above his courtyard design studio in La Brera, a district of the Italian fashion capital, Black explains how his work and home life are closely interwoven.

“I never like to live too far away from my office. I work all hours and weekends, too,” he says. “Yesterday I had Sunday lunch at the Bulgari Hotel, but even that was a sales meeting.”

However, there is a Buddhist-like calm on the fourth floor of his 19th-century apartment. The walls are soothing greens and greys. There is a small gold Buddha head beside his bed.

A graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, Black got his first job as a general assistant to the design supremo John Galliano. He also worked for Zandra Rhodes and Arabella Pollen, but had always been determined to go to Italy.

“When I first arrived in Italy, I could hardly speak Italian. I was travelling around the country showing my book to everyone. Eventually, I got a job in Bologna designing.”

He then moved to Milan to work at Armani. “It had always been a dream of mine,” he explains. “I had always wanted to live in this area. One day, I saw a sign on the window that said this place was for sale,” he said.

“I love the light that floods in and the way it is set back from the road, but still you feel in the midst of things.”

A huge Bridget Riley painting dominates the sitting room and looks out from a velour beige sofa. The style of Riley is echoed in the bold black-and- white curtains covering the steel-framed windows.

On the other side of the room hang three of his own paintings. “Maybe it’s odd to have your work in your home, but I like the way they look different from the other pieces,” he explains.

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