In order to be successful, you have to honor what's in old fashion house, but you also have to play with it and push the limits of it.

When I make a dress that someone wants to put on and somebody else wants to take off, then I know I've got it right. Because when someone looks good on the outside, they'll feel good on the inside.

Social media is hugely important as a vehicle for communication. That's the reality today, whether you like it or not. The good part is that you can continually share news about yourself and your company. But it can also make the design timeline more challenging.

I'm not intellectual at all as a designer. Whatever I'm into at the moment is usually what becomes the collection.

For me, coming to a fashion house and bringing my love and respect to it - and, hopefully, earning the love and respect of the house - is the only way to do it. I think of it as my own house in that sense as well. So I like not working from a blank piece of paper. I like that there's something from the past, some kind of identity that I have to work with. There are these good ghosts around, these good energies that kind of reinforce what you do.

Things are moving quicker and quicker. The internet age has made everything so immediate that what you're doing can start to feel outdated. That's probably the single thing that will most affect the fashion system in the near future. Time is the biggest subject matter in fashion today.

Florence is probably one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. It's very quiet as well - there's not much nightlife - so it definitely keeps me focused on the work.