There are certain people I am allergic to. I even intervene when I don't like a customer; I rush in and check all the names. If I don't like them, I don't take them.
— Azzedine Alaia
I put myself on the same level as everyone else around me - from the directrice to the workman, everyone. Except my pets - they are the Kings; you must treat them like royalty.
As for success, I don't care for it. It is a fragile thing.
A woman is like an actress: she's always onstage.
I love film - it's like painting.
I'm working 24 hours a day. I have had a house in Tunisia for 20 years, and I never have time to go because there are collections, fittings.
Who will remember Anna Wintour in the history of fashion? No one.
As a child, I was raised with my grandmother, alongside all my cousins, and the kitchen was always full.
I'm always telling young designers to take the time to surround themselves with women.
Fashion will last forever. It will exist always. It will exist in its own way in each era.
A human being is not a machine. Especially when it comes to creating.
Who can really say who invents something first in fashion?
The present fashion system is too hard - there are too many collections. The designers have no time to think! Money is too important. Schedules are too crazy.
I prefer to stay poor.
I have total confidence in Beaute Prestige International to accompany me in creating a perfume that interprets my work and my world.
I make clothes; women make fashion.
When I was growing up, I never heard the word 'racism.' It was only in Paris I encountered that.
I have been offered the highest paid contracts in the world. I refused them all. It's not my thing. I don't want to cheat people.
I am always in doubt; I am never sure of myself.
I like black, because for me it is a very happy color.
In modelling, it's very hard to keep in touch with the people you knew when you started.
I learned French in Tunis, along with Arabic. I also learned French history. I knew the entire history of the kings of France. And I was fascinated by Versailles.
When you have one idea per year, it's already a miracle!
If you're sad about what you see in the mirror when you wake up every morning, you must change it.
Women must know themselves better than anyone. If you have ugly legs, wear long dresses. If you have long, great legs, show them.
I want to create a foundation, like a maison, in my home in the Marais. I am going to leave everything there. I am only passing through. I'm not a proprietor of anything, even if I have homes and things.
I've been wearing Chinese clothes since I was 14. I can't wear a suit. I'm small, and when I put on a suit, it's not possible.
There is a sensuality about fabric. I think all materials should be inviting when they touch the skin. When I watch children stroking their mother's clothes, I feel that I have succeeded.
I even do my ready-to-wear samples like couture.
I am never sure that anything's good enough. Something that is good today will not be good tomorrow.
I love American girls. They're audacious. They put more outrageous things on their bodies than anybody.
If I don't have a model in front of me, I don't have an idea.
I take it to heart that, for example, there aren't enough funds for AIDS research, but people pay 20 times the value of an item of clothing.
My father could be very strict, but very fair. His father was the same. We all respected my grandfather; he was the head of the clan. Every morning, we all had to say good morning and kiss his hand. But not me. I jumped on his lap and bit him.
You have to take things with a lot of laughter. I laugh with everyone; this way, I will be able to die happy.
You know Sarkozy offered me the Legion d'honneur medal? I refused. People said I refused because I don't like Sarkozy, but that's ridiculous. I refused because I don't like decorations - except on women.
In an ordinary suit and tie, I'd look like a little macho. I'd be ridiculous.
I'm happier about my friends than I am about my work. I still have a long way to go with work. My friends, that's the one thing I'm sure about.
There was a woman in Tunisia called Madame Pinot. She was a midwife and had helped in the birth of my siblings and me. I assisted her. I helped women give birth to a lot of babies when I was very young.
As I said many times, the fashion world, its system, can be disturbing.
I don't wear perfume, and I don't like the air to be too saturated with scents.
It's important to make women feel confident, because I think they are more important than men.
My obsession is to make women beautiful. When you create with that in mind, things can't go out of fashion.
Even if I was in prison, I could be free in my head. I can adapt easily.
I had used the stretch materials for years to shape the inside of garments I made for private clients. Then I just started using them on their own.
Ballet costumes are easier that opera because they are designed for movement.
I want to speak directly with a star, not her stylist.
I used to spend my nights oversewing dresses for a local dressmaker in order to pay for my school equipment.
I never followed fashion. It's women who have dictated my conduct.
I think women should be seductive, not triste. There's enough sadness in life now without making women look sad, too.
