• The apparent pointlessness of fashion may be just what makes it so strong as a zeitgeist sensor. Even I, a designer, do not know why a certain proportion feels dated or why another one feels exciting at a given moment. I leave that to the cultural historians and theorists.
• It is not easy to dress well. The appearance of a person should be harmonious, and to this effect, all parts need to work together. It can be easier to compose your look from one collection, where everything is coordinated, like in a piece of music. That way every item makes an impact, even the handbag.
• My eyes respond to a smart, modern style in dressing. I am quite alert to anything out of tune: the wrong colour, shape or proportion. Even as a child, I told my whole family how to improve their looks.
• If I had the power, I would ban leggings.
• Good design in my view takes the best from the past and transforms it into something fresh. The dynamics and proportions of a great piece of contemporary design correspond in a mysterious way with attitudes of the moment, as well as with tendencies in other fields of art and design.
• My personal style has stayed pretty much the same over the years. For work, I like a perfect pair of trousers and a white shirt, designed according to the spirit of the moment. As to special occasions: it is not so easy for a modern woman to find something adequate without betraying her sense of self. This is a gap I have always tried to fill, with my design.
• Traditionally, art dictates the quality and impregnates fashion with fresh ideas. But increasingly, art is influenced by fashion as well.
• My only period of rebellious dressing was the 70s, when I remember wearing a snakeskin coat by Ossie Clark. Aside from that, my rebellion has consisted of designing the clothes I wanted to wear, which were non-existent on the womenswear market.
• I became a designer because I couldn't stand the trousers that were available for women. In fact there was no fashion on the market for the modern woman. Her clothes were stuck in various cliches from the past. I felt that women's wardrobes needed to be reconstructed from scratch.
• If I hadn't been a fashion designer, I might have been an architect.
• I like to think that I have taught Uniqlo how far a "basics" company can go in the direction of quality, style and modernity. For my part, I learned how to design the best possible collection with limited resources.
• I am particularly fond of the down jackets I designed for Uniqlo.
• My favourite music is Bach.
• My motto is: be yourself. My mother taught me that.
Nel 2005 è stata organizzata un'esposizione di alcuni tra i più importanti capi della sua vasta collezione 
Alexander McQueen
Pierre Hardy
Pollini per Manish Arora
