Wood carving is such an amazing skill and very underrated; once you cut it, it's hard to go back.
I have a huge amount of respect for all Japanese designers because I think there is consistency and respect to craft.
Buttons, for me, are very sculptural things, and they are so fascinating.
Everyone has something to learn from one another. When different disciplines meet, it creates this amazing unpredictability.
You have to be slightly uncomfortable with what you're doing, and you have to be able to try to find moments of newness.
Loewe should be a cultural brand.
My brother and sister were very sporty. They all did rugby. I was very into performing arts. I went to the National Youth Music Theatre. I was one of those singing, clapping children.
If designers are willing to take risks, I think buyers should take risks, as well with press taking risks.
We need to articulate luxury differently. We live in the world of the 'like' culture. As a society, we're consuming so much imagery, it's like gorging on sugar, and the only way to find depth in a 'like' culture is by presenting the unknown.
I've always loved collecting arts and crafts - I have pieces by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and William Morris at home in east London.
I think I am obsessed with Lucie Rie. I love the way she collaborated with Miyake, who for me is probably the most important fashion designer of the 20th century.
Collaborations are incredibly important in design.
During the 1990s, luxury became something exclusive and elitist. I think fashion got lost. It forgot about craft and culture.
I am a huge obsessor with photography.
Fashion is an archetype: you're trying to build a silhouette, and that is very similar to building up a building because you're trying to create a new structure, a new proportion, a new shape, and you're using a material to cut which is a bit mathematical. That idea of finding something new in terms of proportion is something that drives me.
When I visit any cathedral, it reminds me of being with my grandparents. They weren't particularly religious, but my grandfather was obsessed with architecture.
My parents are huge influences on me. My mother was an English teacher. My father played professional rugby and coached rugby for the Irish rugby team.
Acting is about portraying something... that dedication or learning the script of it is really important in really getting to know a topic.
To be able to make furniture has always been a fantasy of mine.
The team I have to work with at Loewe is incredible, from the architect to the archivist.
