I never wanted to design clothes. I never wanted to work for the fashion industry. Shoes sort of belong to the fashion industry, which is why I'm part of the fashion industry. But that's never been my thought. My thought since I was a child was really to design those shoes for girls on stage.

The heel is engineering in itself. This little thing that supports the human weight has to have a precise balance.

I was the youngest kid. When I was five, my sisters were 17, 19, and 21, already becoming women. I would see how different they would be around one another and around men, even my father.

When I have meetings scheduled so tight that I can't go to the loo, that's where I draw the line!

For women raised in the '70s, high heels can still carry a stigma; they're associated with being stupid, with just wanting to please a man. Other women find them empowering.

I was always shouted at by my teacher because I would draw straight on the table in the school.

Designing my shoes, I'm thinking timeless. Not trendy.