At the end of the day, I want to create collections that, although I am inspired by very creative women, I want my customer to walk away with a silhouette that she doesn't even know what collection it comes from. That it just lasts in her wardrobe and makes her feel strong and confident and hopefully happy.

As far as things I avoid, I always avoid following trends just because they're trends.

I have known that I wanted to be a designer since I was 8 years old.

I'm inspired by different cultures around the world and love to incorporate these facets into my collection.

People around the world just want self-respect. They want to take care of themselves, they want to pay for their own bills, they want to take care of their families.

There's nothing wrong with looking like a woman and going in the workplace and doing everything a man can do but looking 1,000 percent like a lady.

I'm a big proponent of young women dressing appropriately in the workplace to get ahead. We need to demand respect as women, and part of that involves how we present ourselves.