To create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail.
Jeans represent democracy in fashion.
I've always thought of the T-shirt as the Alpha and Omega of the fashion alphabet.
This is very much my philosophy as a fashion designer. I have never believed in design for design's sake. For me, the most important thing is that people actually wear my clothes. I do not design for the catwalk or for magazine shoots - I design for customers.
I must always try to do better because perfectionism, and the need to always have new goals and achieve them, is a state of mind that brings profound meaning to life.
I love things that age well - things that don't date, that stand the test of time and that become living examples of the absolute best.
The difference between style and fashion is quality.
This is the problem with the world today: Nobody wants to take risks, to risk being themselves.
I am not in the stock market. I am beholden to no one in what I do. If I spend billions on a fashion show, I spend billions. It's not public. And if I am in the stock market, I am obligated to account for things, and to show what the business is doing.
Never in my wildest dreams did I entertain the idea that I would become a fashion designer.
I wanted to dress the woman who lives and works, not the woman in a painting.
There can be nothing without love. No money, no power. Love is very important. When you wake up in the morning, you need to know that somebody else is waking up, thinking of you.
I believe that my clothes can give people a better image of themselves - that it can increase their feelings of confidence and happiness.
A well-maintained physique is a great business card. Ideas and intelligence are what matters, but if you have a well-maintained physique, it's better.
I dress in my 'uniform,' or my own dress code, which reflects my personal method and work ethic. My belief is that my plain T-shirt - I have about 40 of them - or blue sweater helps focus others' attention on me and on what I say.
Anyone who is passionate about what they do will have a better chance of connecting with future generations than those who simply follow transient trends. At least their work will have a distinctive character, and this is what people respond to, I believe.
During a fashion show, I want the clothes to speak. The effort I put into my work must be respected.
I have always considered that my collection must have an international flair so it can be at the service of the European public. Or to people in Asia. Yes, there are tiny little alterations I notice in the proportions of the outfits, but fundamentally, the collection is that way.
Milan is a true metropolis: strong and fearless but welcoming, too. Little by little, I came to realize that I could become someone here.
I design for real people. I think of our customers all the time. There is no virtue whatsoever in creating clothing or accessories that are not practical.
