STEFANO GABBANA

I don't have the time to be bored.

In my whole life, I've worn black tie three times. I can't tie the knot myself. Once, at the premiere of the opera, I got to La Scala before Domenico, and I was hiding in the corner until he arrived, and I said, 'Quick, you have to tie my tie, please!' Otherwise, I'll wear a tuxedo jacket with jeans and my bling-bling cross.

Customers are very demanding and well informed.

My memories are of denim. I remember being 12 in my Levi's. Wow! As a teenager in Milan, I was really fascinated by Fiorucci, but at the time I was not rich enough to buy. Oh my God! I made a collection of Fiorucci shopping bags, and my mother, she still has them and my stickers, and now I invite Elio Fiorucci to our shows.

What the fashion system says and what the fashion customer says are really two different things.

My memories are of denim. I remember being 12 in my Levi's. Wow!

In my whole life, I've worn black tie three times. I can't tie the knot myself.

You have to work very hard behind the scenes, to make a message clear enough for a lot of people to understand.

Italians know that what matters is style, not fashion. Italian style does not have social or age boundaries.

We don't think only men can be powerful and strong. Behind the heads of the Mafia, the leaders of culture, there are always very strong women. European culture is a matriarchy, especially in the south. The women have a lot of power.

It's always the same - all men and women want to be sexy.

What I can say is that there are some collections that come easily, and others that require more work.

My mum is totally crazy for fashion still. Her job was as a laundress, but I loved it when she would dress up in her red suit with a mini jacket and flared trousers and get her wig fixed at the hairdresser's - it was the time of wigs - and we would go shopping.

In life you need to take a risk.

Sugar is like a drug. If I have one bite, I need to eat it all. I can eat an entire panettone in one sitting.

Fashion takes its inspiration from society and everyday life, which is the same for everyone, and this is perhaps the reason why certain elements recur.

You don't change your style by changing your bag. You change it with your clothes.

I am opposed to the idea of a child growing up with two gay parents. A child needs a mother and a father. I could not imagine my childhood without my mother. I also believe that it is cruel to take a baby away from its mother.

Dreams can still come true; you need a great deal of energy and determination, and a little bit of luck.

My mum is totally crazy for fashion still.

Dolce & Gabbana is like our child. The editing of a collection before a show is a tough call, as we would like to show everything!

The first thing I do when I wake up is take a cup of tea, a cup of coffee, and vitamins, and then I look at my dogs. I have three dogs, Rosa, Toto, and Mimmo, all Labradors.

I don't look at fashion shows on the internet because it's too flat.

I drive around on my scooter in Milan alone - we don't have bodyguards or anything like that. I am a fashion designer, not a celebrity, and although I get stopped for autographs and the like, I don't think I am famous.

I like Passion Duo, our brand-new gloss fusion lipstick. I also like our Illuminator - it's a glow-illuminating powder.