OLIVIER THEYSKENS

Personally, I have had sometimes moments where I thought my idea behind the idea of a collection - the concept maybe - something that we don't see at the end on the catwalk, I think the way it was, the genesis in my mind, was probably artistic, an artistic approach.

I see the city as an organism, shaped through time by the little humans having habits and doing millions of stuff in and out of it.

I am interested in the idea of 'taste.' And by 'taste,' I mean opinion, inspiration and the craft of creating a personality through fabric and design.

I always like to preserve my freedom. I've never really been attached to any place; that's probably why I kept moving. I like to evolve.

Today there are more things you can wear for the same occasions. I still like this idea of the perfect suit, and I always love tailoring, but today you can have more things for this type of situation, clothes that have class and that are mixable, and that are super well cut.

What is funny is when you do a futuristic movie, you immediately get to be fashionable because you're creating something that doesn't exist.

I am not a designer that buys vintage to be inspired.

Our eyes reflect light. Better that the lips are more like a rose petal.

The aim of being a good designer is to have an influence. If you design furniture or lifestyle, you should influence the way people evolve globally. It's good to have an influence.

It's interesting for me because in my work, a lot of times, I like to scrutinize the clothes and think what's going to make them look dated, and I do the same with vintage. In vintage, you want something unique and different, but at the same time, something that doesn't make you look like you dress like a grandpa.

We always see the point of an iceberg. So I've always accepted the idea that people - they don't necessarily know everything I am.

I'm kind of obsessed with cool girls.

When I was very young, I wanted to be a girl. I was jealous that girls got to be princesses and wear skirts. It tormented me. When I was 6, I even heard that you could change your sex, and I was very intrigued until the moment I realized that if I changed into a girl, I would be an ugly girl, and this is the last thing I wanted to be.

If you are a girl dressing up in the morning thinking about the whole world having a point of view on what you are wearing, it takes the pleasure out of getting dressed.

Art is the way people see things, and I think it's great when individuals can find in fashion something they truly believe is artistic.

For a long time I have been thinking about affordable fashion - you can be disappointed when not so many people can wear your stuff.

With couture, you feel obligated to design something modern each season, but with Theyskens Theory, I don't question anything. I'm thinking of what I'd like to wear.

My sense of designing is a mix of intuition and intellectual control.

I really hated school. I had the feeling I was losing a lot of time.

I rarely stay at home when I'm in New York. I'm always doing things. It brings you so much energy.

The only shoes that look futuristic are Crocs, but they would be terrible to use in a futuristic movie.

I don't think couture will die. But it should have no pretension that it will conquer the world. It's not something that will disappear because all you need is a thread and a needle to start making something couture.

Historical costumes from the 18th and 19th centuries look so complicated, but when you see the patterns, it's very systematic. I've always been impressed by how the patterns economize the fabric.

As a designer, I'm not a guy that can be put in a niche.

My mother loved fashion and always had a great aesthetic. But she also considered the cost of it, with the kids, that it wasn't something to allow herself.