Having some retail experience is key. It really is where the battle is won or lost.

Fashion design isn't just art for art's sake. You must be able to take it to the consumer.

For me, there's a new generation of linens with finishes that don't wrinkle as much, that seem much more organic, much more natural.

I think we have to have traditional roots, but then make things modern for the 90s. I think it makes us more creative by taking traditional concepts and blowing them out a little bit.

The most important thing that I think we've done this season is to show navy and gray in a very new way. Most men understand navy and gray as a navy blazer and a gray flannel trouser, but today, we're taking that very traditional color palette and putting it in a more modern shape.

If you can imagine what it's like to launch a business in the middle of a lawsuit - it's not an easy thing.