Stella McCartney
I'm a woman designing for women, and there are so many layers to that. On the one hand, it brings an effortlessness, but it also means that I think and overthink every detail, whether it's physical or mental or even - in some sense - spiritual.
Depending on the season, between 20 and 30 percent of my collections contain some sort of eco or sustainable element, whether it's a beautiful organic fabric or a natural dye. And obviously I don't use animal skins or fur of any kind.
The way my parents brought me up to see the world is still absolutely key to what I am about. The beliefs I was raised with - to respect animals and to be aware of nature, to understand that we share this planet with other creatures - have had a huge impact on me.
I've had people say to me, 'You'll never sell handbags. You don't work with leather, and leather is luxury.' To me, it's the complete opposite: leather is everywhere - it's so cheap a material; it's so mass produced. Over 50 million animals a year are killed just for fashion. For me, it doesn't have a luxury element to it.
For me, singing is the most natural thing in the world. I've grown up with it and I know I've got that gift.
I can honestly say this industry hasn't made me neurotic about my looks, except maybe my weight. I hope my clothes kind of reflect that. They're meant to make you feel good.
It's immoral that people make money out of writing crap, but I try not to obsess about it. I don't want to spend my life being angry.
People think I'm strong, but actually I wanted to crawl away. I thought, I'm going to live in the country with my horse and I'll get a nine-to-five; I don't need this.
I don't know, maybe I'm overly paranoid that they're going to be spoiled, but I want to keep them going as kids for as long as I can. I want to keep them innocent and free.
My biggest surprises in my everyday job have to do with the challenges of trying to be slightly more responsible as a brand.
You have to be hopeful that people will be more educated in how they buy things, and hopefully more luxury brands will start to think that way on a longer-term basis.
When you find the person that you settle down with, I guess you mellow. They are taming you, aren't they? Or you're taming them.
Sometimes I wish I were less sensible.
I personally love sportswear, and love using it in high fashion.
I don't plan massively in advance.
We always had our own vegetables growing up and now I'm doing it with my kids at our house in the country.
I used to get embarrassed about the fact I liked fashion. I still get a bit cringy.
You feel like everyone hates you if you've got a good life, now I feel maybe it's allowed because I've had my share of sadness.
I didn't want to be thirtysomething and not know what I was going to do. I was quite afraid of that, there were quite a lot of aimless kids around, in that 'other' side of my life, who didn't really know what to do because they always had a bank balance to fall back on and they were quite lost.
I ride my bike, I work out, I do a bit of, er, dancey things.
More than anything I want to be fit so I don't get out of breath when I play football with the kids.
I love that you can have the language between the two worlds of technology and fashion, because I don't think that many designers get to do that.
Losing my mum. That was a punch-me moment.
I feel like a different person since my mum passed away, like I'm driving a ship with my husband alongside me and we're leading these four children into unknown waters.
I think the moment that I'm very proud of is building a business without using animals. And, hopefully, changing people's perception of how you can do luxury fashion.
If you try to create something people enjoy, and it happens to be made in a responsible way, then that's when you can really strike an incredible balance.
I confess to being a frustrated musician.
If people stop liking my clothes, I'll make a record.
At times I make music, but in private.
It's one of my biggest internal struggles - the whole schooling system in London and the fact that my kids are going to a posh school. It freaks me out.
It's not realistic to live in the country at this stage. I've got a business in London. I beat myself up about it all the time.
I never want to promote an ad that makes women feel bad about themselves, because when I was young, I never felt rich enough or fashionable enough or good enough. I felt talked down to by luxury fashion labels. There was a disconnect. They made me feel we weren't right for each other.
I love a pocket. I'm about helping women look as good as possible on the least amount of effort. I want versatility and comfort. Clothes that can go from the office to anywhere. We're always trying on samples at work. If none of us would wear it, chances are no one else will.
Obviously, we live in a society where ageing is feared. But, to me, the alternative to getting old isn't that great. I've got friends much older than me and much younger, and I love that. It means you get to teach as well as learn.
Modern fake fur looks so much like real fur that the moment it leaves the atelier, no one can tell it's not the real thing. And I've struggled with that.
Strength on its own in a woman is quite abrasive and not terribly attractive all the time.
Growing up, I was always really inspired by Disney, and I had a great love of everything they created. My mum was huge fan, and she used to collect stills, and so they were all around the house, and we very much grew up on the early Disney films.
I guess my favourite Disney film was 'Snow White,' which has a really dark moment when the evil queen turns into a witch and makes the poison apple. It was terrifying in the same way 'Maleficent' is.
Designing kids clothes is something personal to me because I'm a mother. So to be able to see my kids wearing something I've designed is very fulfilling. With the kids' collection, we really try to focus on great quality with an accessible price point in styles that appeal to both parents and kids.
I can debate for weeks whether a trouser should sit on the waist, or a centimetre below, or on the hip, whether it should have a zip or a button, because I find personally that a detail like that can have a massive impact on how I carry myself that day. If I wear a slouchy jean, that will affect my posture and my whole manner.
It wasn't easy navigating publicity when I started, because I grew up with 'being famous,' and I'm just not into it, and I guess defensiveness gets read into that. And I didn't get an easy ride at the beginning.
I think personal style starts from within because it´s a philosophy and an attitude. If you´re honest and true to yourself, you will have the best sense of personal style.Collection: Attitude
I´m a real believer that just doing a little something is a lot better than doing a lot of nothing.Collection: Real
Being effortless is the coolest thing in the worldCollection: Ipads
As a designer I like to work with fabrics that don't bleed. That's why I avoid all animal skins.Collection: Animal
The really great thing about my shop is that there's not one dead animal in it. ... Manolo's got a load of fabric shoes as well! We use plastic, fabric, rubber- anything but leather. I almost feel like I've been put here to show everyone that it's unnecessary.Collection: Animal
There's nothing fashionable about a dead animal that has been cruelly killed just because some people think it looks cool to wear.Collection: Thinking
It's not about what it looks like in the studio or on the runway. It's what it looks like on a real person that matters.Collection: Real
Laugh my friend, for laughter ignites a fire within the pit of your belly and awakens your being.Collection: Laughter