I think the '70s are always inspiring to me. I was born then, so I have a lot of memories about how my parents were and what kinds of movies I was watching.

For me, beauty and fashion are always connected. One doesn't exist without the other. Make up is a key element of the Gucci runway show - it helps communicate the essence of the Gucci woman. Eyes, skin, lips - they're like accessories, all working together to create an unmistakable look.

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.

If we give girls and women the chance to change their lives, they can change the world.

The first thing I notice about a man are his shoes. Then I look at his watch.

I grew up in Rome, in actually what I would say was a liberal, open-minded family. My father was an architect and my mother was a teacher of art history, so it was sort of intellectual, and maybe a bit much for me when I was a child.