Clean lines have always been important to me, both in terms of interiors as well as fashion. For interiors, I am more interested in textures and surface treatments than bold color or print - the vein on a wood or the shine on a lacquer, for example. I know immediately when something isn't working - usually it's a question of consistency - and I make instantaneous decisions on how to remedy the situation.
It is imperative to create luxury products that are also functional. My vision for fashion precludes frivolous, fantasy-only designs. That said, fashion does tend to move more quickly than interior design. One doesn't change their couch every season as one does their wardrobe.
My brands all are unique in terms of their spirits, but they have the same Armani stamp. There is a level of taste which runs through every single product. Sitting side by side, they are perhaps more stimulating than they would be just on their own. It gives a new idea, a new proposal, a new perspective.
Of course sportsmen and women are not only great role models, they are great fashion models too, as they are at the peak of physical perfection.
Today we no longer live in a way that is constrained by simple working or leisure environments - we travel, we work on laptops in coffee shops, we go out to dinner straight from work.
Through fashion I have shown my interpretation of the competitive spirit by dressing sportsmen and women, choosing to work with both those who are among the world's most renowned athletes and also those who are yet to achieve fame in the arena of sport.
All my work at Armani is based primarily on my personal vision of style, and while I differentiate between the look and mood of my various labels, I am never overly concerned with being 'on trend.'
It is difficult to talk about fashion in the abstract, without a human body before my eyes, without drawings, without a choice of fabric - without a practical or visual reality.
There are so many things to take into account - your ambition, your ego, the press, the consumers. You can never be sure that you'll be on top of the pile again.
I started to take care of my body after I turned 50. I never liked how I looked physically because I was too cute, short, with coloring only on my cheeks, the perfect little nose, and then the blue eyes. But I would have preferred to have the look of a tough guy from the wrong side of town - one of those fascinatingly ugly looks.
It was a long time ago, we were in the office, and we had finished work exhausted. A friend of a friend said 'Hey, take this it will give you energy,' so I thought I'd try it. I didn't know what it was. It made me laugh and laugh, like crazy...to the point that my back hurt' *he holds his hips* 'like I'd just had a baby.
Youth culture adopts Armani and adapts it in its own way, as befits youthful enthusiasm.
I am impressed with America's capacity for change, and their ability to bring someone as inspirational as Barack Obama into the White House.
Technical garments for sporting performance will, I believe, simply become more and more fit for purpose and will perform better and better. What is perhaps more interesting is how this technology will cross over into the fashion mainstream. We already see this trend in everything from footwear to outerwear.
Of course, the muscular build of athletes is always a challenge for a designer, but my clothing's softness and comfort, which are central aspects of my stylistic vision, allow it to adapt to various physical builds effortlessly.
I have always been fascinated by the values of sport and loved its rituals; in fact, since ancient times sport has been a byword for top physical prowess and spectacular athletic performance.
Sports will always be important in global culture, and so fashion, as a reflection of cultural trends, will always incorporate influences from sports.
I find that fashion recently has been a little too hasty. Often times, it's put together quickly to catch the attention of the media, and I didn't want to do that.
Working with Cate Blanchett, on and off the screen, has always been a highlight for me. She embodies the perfect combination of consummate actor and world-class fashion icon.
I didn't have a happy childhood.
I've always worked. I have always been too responsible. But I don't know how to live any other way. I think that this discipline was also demanded of me by my work.
My success was also owed to career women who maybe had big legs or ample thighs, who felt well-protected by my fluid clothing that hid their flaws.
I've always thought of the T-shirt as the Alpha and Omega of the fashion alphabet, ... The White T.
That is what [Andy] Warhol portraits do: They elevate the subject into an icon of the pop culture he was documenting.
In practice, I've had a presence in China since 1998 with my commercial spaces and shops.
