I think what I'm doing is quintessentially American because I'm not American - even though I am on the verge of getting my American passport next week - I have a fantasy of what is American. Big spaces, Marlon Brando, James Dean, easy living.

There are many things Calvin Klein would have never done - he would have never put men in leggings in a show; he would have never done a fluorescent suit - but these are things that are right for the moment. For example, a fluorescent suit is graphic, and Calvin Klein is about being graphic. And Calvin Klein is always modern at its core, so I inject my own research and my own innovation, and I make it my own. But I never deny that core, because that would be stupid.

In the office, I actually act quite demented the whole day. Like Monty Python. That's my favorite kind of humor. My assistants sometimes ask me to leave.

I really believe in clothes that are new, that are innovative - but that everybody wants to wear.

You don't do things for shock value anymore, because that's not even the language of today. At least, that's not what interests me. If I do it, it's because I want to see things in another way, not necessarily because I want to shock anybody.

I have to admit, I am aware of my Latin roots now. In the past, people couldn't place me. They thought that I was Danish or English or French. They never got that I am Italian. I'm not typical, maybe because my visual education was very mixed. There was a lot of London in my aesthetic: The Face, i-D, British music, and a lot of British fashion . . . But I really enjoy this contrast. I can go from Lady Gaga to Brian Eno in a split second.

I saw what it means to work every weekend and every night, and I realized it doesn't work for me. It's not necessary. If you know what you want, you can achieve it without going crazy.