I wanted to feel good about the way I looked. I didn't understand why style had to be sacrificed for sports technology. I found when going to the gym women were wearing their own tees, without the technology. I started to think, does it make you run faster if you wear that terrible color or sweat less if you wear that horrible fabric? And I challenged it, and the answers were not there to why we were being given poor design work. It was something I wanted to bring to women's wardrobes.

The main challenge is technology and that's something I really push and work closely with Adidas on. They're real leaders in sports performance; always trying to push that further and further and get the best technology they can. That takes time and has rigorous testing, it's very laborious, but it's also very rewarding. You get to work with fantastic athletes, and that's a fantastic thing that has nothing to do with my day job in ready-to-wear.

The beliefs I was raised with - to respect animals and to be aware of nature, to understand that we share this planet with other creatures - have had a huge impact on me.

As a designer I like to work with fabrics that don't bleed. That's why I avoid all animal skins.

I'd rather people turn up than not. And of course I'd rather have people be enthusiastic.

The really great thing about my shoe store is that there's not one dead animal in it.

I'm not offended or embarrassed by the fact that I design clothes for women to wear. So when I meet women who love my clothes, it's a really good, straightforward thing. It makes me feel like I'm doing my job right.