Things are moving quicker and quicker. The internet age has made everything so immediate that what you're doing can start to feel outdated. That's probably the single thing that will most affect the fashion system in the near future. Time is the biggest subject matter in fashion today.
Working for an older house is a great opportunity, but it's also a big responsibility. The fortunes of a lot of people and families are based on what the results of my collections are, and how successful they are on a commercial level, and how big an impact they have on a trade level as well. So I think I'm a little bit more chill about that.
I think my biggest muses in fashion are probably rock 'n' roll girlfriends, like Anita Pallenberg and Marianne Faithfull and Bianca Jagger - and then maybe Patti Smith a bit as well.
The year before was my first collection for Emilio Pucci, and I was just starting the job and working in his Renaissance Palazzo, where Pucci is headquartered, so that inspired me. I found this image in the book. It was an old image of Emilio Pucci hanging out by the seaside with all of these women, and that's exactly how I used to think about this house - more of a lifestyle thing. This beautiful life. So I'm really working on that.
People always ask me, "Oh, do you ever want to start your own thing?" And I don't, actually. I think what I enjoy most is the sort of co-production of things, where you bring something and somebody else brings something and a kind of alchemy happens.
Working in the old fashion house is like how your parents raise you and give you this base, and you eventually grow up and have to say, "Well, you gave me this, but now I need to go my own way. " So, more than finding a balance, it's about taking the good parts of what you've been given and bringing your own thing to it in order to take it all somewhere else - and hopefully, forward.
Florence is probably one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. It's very quiet as well - there's not much nightlife - so it definitely keeps me focused on the work.
I'm incapable of functioning without music. I've always had it in my life. I played the violin when I was a kid, and my mother was a violinist at that point, so it's always been important to me in one way or another. When I work, there's always music cranking.
I want Pucci woman to be a Pucci girl. That's number one, because I think she should have that vibe that corresponds with today. Emilio Pucci - the house is, I think, 63 years old now. It's an old house. The Pucci woman from the beginning would be 80 years old or something today, so I've kind of had to update her.
When I make a dress that someone wants to put on and somebody else wants to take off, then I know I've got it right. Because when someone looks good on the outside, they'll feel good on the inside.
In order to be successful, you have to honor what's in old fashion house, but you also have to play with it and push the limits of it.
I'm really working on trying to get that lifestyle aspect of the Emilio Pucci house to be as strong as possible.
That's always my downfall - when I start not having fun or not feeling passionate about what I'm doing. But that's why I love Emilio Pucci. There are some design houses that operate on a more intellectual level, but the way Pucci has always worked is more spontaneous and instinctual.
Social media is hugely important as a vehicle for communication. That's the reality today, whether you like it or not. The good part is that you can continually share news about yourself and your company. But it can also make the design timeline more challenging.