If you could wake up anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you be?
It would be somewhere very remote, without any gadgets. Sort of a jungle and beach combined. Remote Brazil, perhaps.
What does your dream home look like?
Eccentric, with huge windows, eclectic interiors and incredible views.
What is your favourite city in the world?
Marrakech. I love the riads and the market. I also love London because London is my hood. They are really different cities, for lots of different reasons; it depends on how long you have to spend in them.
What's your favourite item in your wardrobe at the moment?
Always white shirts and waistcoats.
What are the top three essentials that you never travel without?
A huge big blanket; one big easy bag to put everything in — I’ve got one from Vampire, which is this huge velvet sack. And red lipstick, because it makes you feel good.
Who inspires you, in terms of fashion?
My mother, Coco Chanel, Gustav Klimt and Matisse, for textiles.
When you're at home in London, how do you like to relax?
Boxing and yoga.
Where is your favourite place to shop, and why?
Probably Portobello [Road]. I go down there all the time, and it’s my favourite. You never really know what you’re going to find, and you find things you never expect.
What is the best piece of fashion advice you've ever received?
Don’t follow trends and dress for yourself.
If you weren't a designer what would you be?
A photographer.
What is the most recent book you've read and loved?
I haven't read a book for ages, if I'm completely honest. When I go on holiday, I normally bring about five books with me, but then spend my time reading Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes for my son at night. By the time I finish that, I'm done.
If you were stuck on a desert island, what is the one album that you would want to have with you?
Bruce Springsteen's The Ghost of Tom Joad.
What one piece of advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
Stay true to yourself. And it’s all about hard work. I always knew that. But I think for younger people – and we see it with those coming through the office – they don’t really understand what hard work is about. They have a really weird attitude towards how dirty you have to get your hands.
You have visited Dubai a number of times. are there any experiences that you have had in the emirate that are particularly memorable?
We did a shoot out in the desert and I was allowed to go and ride somebody’s endurance horses. So we went riding, and I was put on the horse and off I went in this evening dress. Because they’re endurance horses, they just want to go. We went up a sand dune, and I just sort of slid off the back and had to get back up again. It was really, really fun and a completely out-of-this-world experience – galloping through the desert in this evening dress, on this amazing horse.
Read this and more stories in Luxury magazine, out with The National on Thursday, May 12.
alane@thenational.ae
