Everyone has their dates. For me, it’s 1991. I can place every memory of my life either before or after this date. It’s the year I became an adult. My mother died, and I created my company shortly thereafter. I definitely would not have done it if she hadn’t passed away

I always loved fish for the colors and birds for the plumage. In the same way, I loved those women of the cabaret. They were birds of paradise.

The shiny red color of the soles has no function other than to identify to the public that they are mine. I selected the color because it is engaging, flirtatious, memorable, and the color of passion.

I hate the idea of natural. For example, I prefer gardens to wild nature. I like to see the human touch. High heels are a complete invention – an extravagance. They’re far from natural, but it’s the impracticality that I adore. I prefer the useless to the useful, the sophisticated to the natural.

I mean, the shoe – there is a music to it, there is attitude, there is sound, it’s a movement. Clothes – it’s a different story. There are a million things I’d rather do before designing clothes: directing, landscaping.

I really wish I had invented the flip-flop. I love flip-flops. It’s the one style of shoe I would be so proud of inventing: the Havaiana.

One thing I detest, I have to say, is when a shoe is too soft, and it’s molding to the foot. This is quite disgusting. And I really, really hate incredibly long shoes, where the last is very pointy, almost like Aladdin.

When a woman puts on a heel, she has a different posture, a different attitude. She really stands up and has a consciousness of her body.

What was called extreme 20 years ago definitely isn’t extreme anymore. When I started, I remember people saying, ‘Oh my God, I can’t walk in that!’ It was like, three inches – they look like kitten heels now.

A naked woman in heels is a beautiful thing. A naked man in shoes looks like a fool.