When I was younger, I never laughed. I was always sour. If I look at pictures of me from the past, I never see a smile. I think it came out of my insecurity. I had a lot of complexes.

For me, couture is the kingdom of imagination, creativity and experimentation, and this is how I approach it. I do, however, remain pragmatic and realistic.

That is what [Andy] Warhol portraits do: They elevate the subject into an icon of the pop culture he was documenting.

Movies always fascinated me. They are an endless source of inspiration. There are countless images by great directors that made a profound impression on me, and I see film as a sublime example of teamwork.

The interesting thing about basketball is that it is played recreationally all over the world in playgrounds where people shoot hoops. Perhaps it is because of this that the look of the game seems to have been able to cross over into streetwear more easily than that of some sports that are confined to more specialist arenas.

Of course sportsmen and women are not only great role models, they are great fashion models too, as they are at the peak of physical perfection.

I've always thought of the T-shirt as the Alpha and Omega of the fashion alphabet, ... The White T.