BUILDING BLOCKS I completely fell into fashion. [It] was not even on my radar when I was younger. I grew up in Yorkshire, in the [English] countryside, which is beautiful but definitely not a fashion capital. What I do remember loving was imagery, magazines, fabric and colour. My love for architecture came from my father, who is a carpenter. I love his craft and watching him make things. I love construction, which I guess translates into clothes.
Before joining Burberry, I worked at Donna Karan and Gucci. I left Britain to go to Donna Karan in New York because she plucked me out of college. After that, I went to Gucci, where I headed up womenswear for six years. I had the time of my life; it was very energising, but eventually I wanted another experience. I spoke very openly with Tom [Ford] about leaving - I have enormous respect for him because he took on a huge risk by hiring me at just 23. I told him I needed a new experience and he gave me his blessing. It was a sad moment but I had to do it. It happened that Burberry found me through a headhunter and the rest, as they say, is history.
MOVING FORWARD I joined Burberry in 2001 [as creative director] and I was just responsible for ready-to-wear. Now I look after everything, even although my title has never changed. I hadn't designed menswear before but it was a natural progression because I was a guy and I related to it on a personal level. I don't know if it's easier, I find it different. You have to think of both collections in such different ways because men and women shop differently, they live their lives differently.
The most important thing to remember is that it's not really about me. I didn't join this industry because I wanted fame and glory, I came to it from a different angle. What I love about it is that I am able to use all my senses, whether I am working on designing a store, developing a fragrance or fitting a dress.
I am very lucky that I can do this and this is something I have always wanted to do. Now that I am older, I can finally articulate it. It's all encompassing in a very consummating and tiring way.
When we launched Prorsum, our ready-to-wear line, it was really there to articulate the modernity of Burberry - to talk to a different audience, but also to be respectful to its past. The trenchcoat, and how to wear it, is the core of everything; it's our culture and that's what I use as the basis for everything I do. And yes, our clothes are very much my aesthetic but, I think, even more than that it's a mind-set. I sometimes describe it as a dishevelled elegance; this girl isn't perfectly primped - she's run out of the shower, thrown on a dress and a trench coat.