Coach, for instance, is well-managed, but it hasn’t “spread as a lifestyle brand,”

When I was in grad school, the unstated assumption in most of what we were taught was that the sole point of a business (or any institution, really) was to grow. To grow, grow, grow, to as large a scale as possible. To build an empire, take over the world. My classmates — tycoons in waiting — lapped it up. “Lifestyle businesses”? Nah! Those were fo... See more

If PD should ever end up in someone else’s control, it would certainly make me sad, but I can do it again with a different name. I don't think the brand is good just because of the name — it’s about ethos and ideas. I don't even think of PD as my own name anymore. When I look at the label inside the clothes, I don't think of myself. It is lot of th... See more

- "An expansive brand accepts a place in society as a type of public good, operating with a simple logic of forever expanding to nourish its every cultural touchpoint."

“I don’t give a shit about fashion. Fashion is, pfffttt, what is fashion? Inditex [owner of Zara] is doing fashion 12 times a year. What is this nonsense? But I know people are hungry for pure things. And there’s a huge crowd of people heavily believing in and loving this brand. And it’s not because of the nice people working there, because there a... See more

What was your reaction when you first saw John Galliano’s newspaper dresses?

I was shocked, which is good, of course. A new product is not creative—it is not important—if it does not shock when you first see it.

And after the shock wore off, did your managerial alarm bells start ringing?

I don’t have alarm bells when it comes to creativity. If you ... See more