I had always wanted to expand to beauty, but I knew I wanted to be able to translate my design aesthetic in an authentic way.
Fashion is much more collaborative than one might think. You have to have an idea and vision, and you have to communicate that vision to a team of people, and you have to create an environment that allows those people to give the best that they can give.
In a modern loft, you can't just fill a space with furniture. Each piece has to be perfect.
If you look at WeWork as a brand I think the way we design has a more masculine vibe.
I like Modernism. I grew up around these sort of eclectic, heavily carved, baroque, rococo, highly ornamented styles that were in my life from the time that I was a child until now in my business life. So I like clean, straight, minimalist lines.
There are always different influences each season. It could be a person, it could be a piece of furniture; it depends on what I'm obsessing about.
I like the personality of the Belgians. They're deeply eccentric, which is something that comes across in their design - terrific.
Calvin Klein is such an iconic brand in fashion, so I feel like working with them means you're definitely doing something right. They bring validation to someone, not only in the fashion community but in someone's career, which is why it was such an honor to work with them.
There's a very important aspect to all my work, now more than ever, which is tying the interior design and architecture with the art.
My cultural identity is obviously a huge part of my design aesthetic.
I always look at the work of fashion designers as if they were art.
To create a collection, you need a narrative - an explanation to tell the team.
I like sparseness. There's something about that minimalist feel that can make something have an immediate impact and make it unique. I'll probably always work with that formula; I just don't know how.
I moved to Paris around 1995 or 1996; my first collection on the runway was in 1997.
Architecture is art, nothing else.
The new architecture of transparency and lightness comes from Japan and Europe.
My personality resembles my designs to a large extent. I'm in sync with myself and I'm transparent, just like my designs.
As a British fashion designer, it is an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be creative director of Team GB as the hosting nation of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
I guess I will always be known as a designer who references Ibiza, even though I've only been to the island a couple of times in my early twenties.
French designers are classic, chic, and traditional.
I haven't made many wedding dresses. It's a dress very, very important for the girl; it's important to know the person, I believe, but at the same time it should be a shock to the person - the person should be shocked to be suddenly revealed. That's the work of a designer sometimes, to propose an ID of look.
The first time I saw my look on a real person was in Paris, and I felt a little shock, a little thrill that went through my body. And that thrill never goes away - never.
Not only as designers, but as creatives, we're all about the importance of creating that super chic space that feels like a million bucks without having to spend a million bucks.
It's very important to have a definitive style as a designer.
There isn't any one material that's mine. It all depends on the context. For example, I did a house that had the most exquisite marble applications. That sounds ostentatious, but it wasn't, given the context. The color white I subscribe to extensively. I love thinking about color, but I often go with white.
