Of course, we always get references from the past, but that doesn't mean that the clothes have to look like the past. We need to look forward, which is why I'm fascinated by new materials, technologies, techniques, and unusual ways to use colors or textures. It's very applicable to Calvin Klein because Calvin Klein has always been about modern-ness.

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.

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.

Even if things look very precise and very organized, chaos is always there. But I like the moment of chaos to be at the beginning. I cannot deal with the chaos at the end.

When I come up with an idea for the collection, it's usually very precise, and I would say that every time, you're going to see that idea on the catwalk. It will go through ups and downs, but it's not going to be changed in the last month, that's for sure.

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.