I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to build some kind of lifestyle brand that was preppy and cool.
We are really living the American dream, to be a successful brand in the States and in Europe and to steep ourselves in our heritage. But we do it with a sense of humor. We don't take ourselves too seriously in fashion.
The road to success is not easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive and passion, it's possible to achieve the American dream.
My mother was kind and forgiving and would take in all the waifs and strays in our neighbourhood; we always compared her to Mother Teresa. She taught me a lot.
We had incense and rock'n'roll posters, and we sold records and rolling papers. People could just, like, hang out. We had a cool vibe going.
I had no confidence at school. I was not a good student and I really thought I was pretty stupid. Just dumb.
