It's amazing to see there aren't boundaries around gender. My menswear business has changed over the years as far as what men are daring to wear. And women, too. Men wanted to look tough, but now they realize you don't have to look like your granddad or dad. You can show a more feminine side.

When you become controversial, when you want to promote new ideas, you need to be the face of it and not be scared.

What makes me sad in fashion is that everyone is looking for trends. A trend is one thing. Timeless is another. In 20 years, I've seen so many trends. It makes me sad when people go for the trend versus quality or vision. Or when people wear something so basic just to make sure they're considered cool, like a white t-shirt.

I like people who are powerful, confident, and fearless. Balmain is about an attitude. I think if Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor were alive, they would definitely be part of the Balmain crew.

It's really sad to me that we even have to talk about diversity in the fashion world today. That I would love to change. Diversity should be normal.

What is the Balmain girl? It’s a woman who knows what she wants and is going to express it

I think fashion is fashion: Sometimes you dress people that you don't know, and sometimes you dress people that you actually know.