With my eyes turned to the past, I walk backwards into the future.

I was on a Japanese designers' pedestal - considered a maestro. My design was getting closer to a couturier's work, and I felt like I was missing something.

The best moments in my life are just before going to bed. Those are my happiest moments.

At a certain point, I stopped seeing my clothing worn by people on the streets . . . It seemed like they were being treated as museum items.

It meant something to me – the idea of a coat guarding and hiding a woman’s body. For me, a woman who is absorbed in her work, who does not care about gaining one’s favor, strong yet subtle at the same time, is essentially more seductive. The more she hides and abandons her femininity, the more it emerges from the very heart of her existence.

A pair of brilliantly cut cotton trousers can be more beautiful than a gorgeous silk gown.

With my eyes turned to the past, I walk backwards into the future.