My mother was a housewife. My father worked in the agriculture business, but they were very encouraging about everything. When I said I wanted to do art, they were very supportive.

I liked natural history. I liked the outdoors. And I found the sea quite interesting.

That era of designers being away with the fairies is gone... You've got to live in the real world.

With couture, the great thing is that each piece has its own character, and you have space to explore and continue themes season after season.

It's important to offer well-thought-out pieces at lower prices.

With couture, it means I get to show fall in July with delivery in September. My clients will be getting their pieces in season.

Single-sex private schools, especially in the middle of nowhere on a bleak hill in County Durham - I don't think they make sense.

I don't believe in a recipe for success. You have to work hard; you may not always get it right - you have to bounce back from situations, and you have to be really focused and determined. It's important to have fun as well. Work shouldn't be a torture.

If you've invested money in buying a piece, you don't want it to just disintegrate. We all have that first wash anxiety, when that great t-shirt you've just bought shrinks away to nothing.