I've always been intrigued by things that insinuate femininity, so in my designs, something like a flower is never about the fact that it's a flower. It's more about what that repetitive motif implies.

I love when people wear flowers in their own way, like when I see someone wearing a floral dress with brogues and a jacket. It's incongruous.

When I was a little boy, I was fascinated with how women looked and carried themselves.

The biggest compliment to me is being able to dress so many different women from so many different backgrounds.

I loved cinema from a very young age. I was also obsessed with Hitchcock and actresses like Kim Novak in Vertigo. They all played heroines and were strong, powerful women, yet they were very feminine.

I don't know if I've ever had a muse per se. I would say that the woman I'm inspired by exists more in my sketchbooks. She exists in my head.

My first introduction to fashion probably came through television: I was obsessed with Elsa Klensch, who used to cover fashion for CNN.