Nicola Finetti was born in Bari, a town in Southern Italy. His mother was Yugoslavian and his father a native Italian. Originally a student of architecture in Rome, Finetti lived in Italy before building his design career in Buenos Aires.
In 1982 Finetti moved to Sydney, and found it difficult to pursue his career in architecture when he hardly spoke any English.
While the architectural world may have lost an enthusiastic member because of this, the fashion industry gained a new star. Finetti began learning the tricks of the fashion trade under the guidance of Richard Tyler and Romeo Finetti in a co-owned boutique in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.