I feel lucky to love what I do. It doesn't feel like working. I do all the projects I do because I like doing them, whether it's a book or a photo shoot. For me, my work and my life are the same.

Being a photographer helps me see the work differently. I always walk away seeing things differently than when I stare at them myself. It gives me a little distance. So I love photography, but it also helps me tell the story. When I shoot the ad campaign for my work, it allows me to be much more direct.

I think sometimes you get too caught up in the business side, and you make compromises, and then the brand becomes unexciting. I think in the early stages you have to be bold. You have to define yourself. Everyone wants to understand who you are and why you're here. I think the best brands are forever surprising people.

Great fashion is all about surprise. It should always be about doing something that isn't by the book.

Having your own store is one of the most immediate ways to connect with the customer, to really get to know her and develop a more intimate relationship.

If clothes can help you see yourself on your best day, why shouldn't every day be that day?

I'm attracted to that mix of things that are very refined and polished, and things that are almost accidental. I feel like the best things happen when you're on the path to making something, even if where you end up is not where you thought you would.