Design and style should work toward making you look good and feel good without a lot of effort so you can get on with the things that matter. I can design a collection in a day and I always do, cause I’ve always got a load of Italians on my back, moaning that it’s late. Online media is increasingly influential in fashion. I love to design things that people can actually buy. I’m staggered by what a boot costs today. Fashion can be this mysterious thing that you can’t explain.
You can only go forward by making mistakes. Fashion to me has become very disposable; I wanted to get back to craft, to clothes that could last. I think there is something about luxury – it’s not something people need, but it’s what they want. It really pulls at their heart. The key to my collections is sensuality. I love you if you love me.
There has to be a balance between your mental satisfaction and the financial needs of your company. War taught me that not everything is glamorous. I think I’d go mad if I didn’t have a place to escape to. It’s really easy to get colors right. It’s really hard to get black – and neutrals – right. Black is certainly a color but it’s also an illusion. I like things simple.