In New York there are between four and six big designers, and the shows last one week. There is something wrong here. It's our fault. We can't stand up for it. They take our ads, don't they? Why don't they want to stay longer in Milan? Why do we have to comply? We have the most beautiful brands, they are Italians.

Giving back is the new luxury.

I think very highly of Expo and all is going well. We've seen big problems with [corruption] scandals [at local government level], but it is going forward, with the highest number of participants ever expected.

As for Instagram, I follow about 100 people, but I am not interested in what a designer is doing or what a friend of a friend is doing. I upload my photos on Instagram.

You just click and you get 18,000 screen shots on how to apply lipstick, for example, but there will be the same selection that has taken place in paper in digital, too.

I don't have time, I watch movies, or shows people are talking about. Television is the medium I use the least; I'd rather use my computer, iPhone or iPad.

I think that I'm still very enthusiastic about every single thing that I do. I'm still very passionate. I never feel tired because I feel so involved and so com- mitted, so I enjoy it. And you know what? I have a lot of irony. I love the humor, and when I really, really want to just say, "You know what? I can't stand all this," I find an ironical way. I say, "You know, maybe you presume to be more intelligent than you are." So I respond in a more humoristic way.