Paris is one of the most incredible places to live. Once you get bitten by the city, you never leave.

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

Emilio Pucci obviously I think it's one of the best houses in Italy - and one of the most legendary ones as well. That's why I came here. I also like the idea of working with a house that has a history that you can collaborate and exchange ideas with in the way you would with another person.

I think my biggest muses in fashion are probably rock 'n' roll girlfriends, like Anita Pallenberg and Marianne Faithfull and Bianca Jagger - and then maybe Patti Smith a bit as well.

Working in the old fashion house is like how your parents raise you and give you this base, and you eventually grow up and have to say, "Well, you gave me this, but now I need to go my own way." So, more than finding a balance, it's about taking the good parts of what you've been given and bringing your own thing to it in order to take it all somewhere else - and hopefully, forward.

Paris is one of the most incredible places to live. Once you get bitten by the city, you never leave.

It's important for me to really play with the traditions and keep things simple and easy. Ultimately I believe in animal instincts - I think they often end up winning out.