I wanted to be involved with fashion, though I didn't know what being a designer meant.

You think of luxury when you think of Calvin Klein. He created this lifestyle that's really desirable, so our whole project has that quality of being lasting.

I just hate people who are lazy. To be on my team, you have to have energy and a sense of wanting to learn. That really excites me.

I came to New York in 1986. My father didn't think it was a good idea. I didn't know how I found it, but I went to Hunter College. I had no money and I couldn't speak English.

My parents had a factory, so I was linked to the textile and fashion industry.

I wasn't a club kid. I wasn't an artist. I was just a foreigner, trying to soak it all up. I had quite a lot of fun.

I could never before say that I loved color or that I understood color. But Oscar de la Renta opened up a side of my brain.