Olivier Theyskens

“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.”

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

“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.”

“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.”

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

“Personality is so important - when you dress somebody for a big party, it is good to feel that the person has an ease and naturalness with what she is wearing.”

“People who don't know me sometimes call me 'Mademoiselle.'”

“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.”

“Personally, I am not so affected by my environment. What I build in the creative process is not necessarily connected to what I am physically in contact with. I am always observing everything, but it will not necessarily have a direct impact on what I do.”

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

“I could live naked... I love it.”

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

“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.”

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

“I'm kind of obsessed with cool girls.”

“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.”

“Even during the golden age of fashion, you had haute couture houses where the designers didn't have money.”

“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 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.”