I sometimes feel that a pattern is almost a fashion statement in itself. I was the first person to have a punk rock hairstyle. Men don’t want another man to look at their woman because they don’t know how to handle it. You can’t just buy things for the label – it’s ridiculous. You have to stay true to your heritage; that’s what your brand is about.

It is important to be chic. Fashion is a very stressful place to work because of the demands of doing the shows – no one expects a writer to produce two books a year on the dot – but it’s also a very toxic place to work. We live in an era of globalization and the era of the woman. Never in the history of the world have women been more in control of their destiny. If you cut a painter’s hands off, he’d still feel the urge to pick up a brush. It’s hard to balance everything. It’s always challenging.

I didn’t like the ’80s at all; it was a vulgar moment of fashion. I believe that my clothes can give people a better image of themselves – that it can increase their feelings of confidence and happiness. Nostalgia is a very complicated subject for me. I’m attracted by nostalgia but I refuse it intellectually. I’m a fashion designer and people think, what do I know? Delete the negative; accentuate the positive!

A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous. Sometimes incompetence is useful. It helps you keep an open mind. I think I’d go mad if I didn’t have a place to escape to. Insecurity is a waste of time. You’re only as good as your last collection, which is an enormous pressure.