It was very tough with Madonna at the beginning of the meeting because I was very embarrassed. But I'm a strong woman who knows what I want and what I'm doing, and I think that when you have very clear ideas in your life, you can have conversations with everyone.

The idea of 'ferie,' or summer break, is a long tradition of which all Italians, including myself, participate. It's a time to relax, reflect and recharge.

I cannot tell you that I am 100-percent comfortable, but for sure I am more confident of my goals, because I know what I can expect from this kind of event. At the beginning, everything was a mysterious, far-from-me world, and now it's more accessible. Of course, exposing myself is always very difficult. I cannot say that I'm a shy person, but I don't see myself as a superstar. I will never see myself like that.

I always loved the look of musicians. I've always admired them because they have a look - when I was growing up, it seemed that the ones I liked didn't need to have a stylist. Now there is this trend where everyone has a stylist, or follows the suggestions of a stylist, from designers on down.

I am comfortable giving people direction. If something is not good enough, my job is to find a way to help them learn from their mistake, and understand that next time I expect better.

I'm used to spending a lot of time with my team. They're not only collaborators, they're also friends. It's the biggest part of your life that you share with these people. But sometimes being on the top of this pyramid, you need to be a little bit tough. This job is becoming very tough for every company because of timing. You don't have the time to finish the collection before you have to think about the next one. But I am never loud. I don't like to scream. So we are all working hard, and sometimes you need to reassure them.

I like tough relationships. I think relationships with conflict are good for you - you learn. But you can't listen too much. I have a strong point of view, and it's important that I fight for my ideas.