“Success nullifies. You then have to do it again, preferably differently”

“Forgiveness is too easy. I can forget by indifference, but not forgive. I prefer revenge.”

“People who do a job that claims to be creative have to be alone to recharge their batteries. You can’t live 24 hours a day in the spotlight and remain creative. For people like me, solitude is a victory.”

“Chanel is an institution, and you have to treat an institution like a whore – and then you get something out of her”

“Respect is not creative ... Chanel is an institution, and you have to treat an institution like a whore — and then you get something out of her.”

“Reinvent new combinations of what you already own. Improvise. Become more creative. Not because you have to, but because you want to. Evolution is the secret for the next step.”

“For me, Chanel is like music. There are certain notes and you have to make another tune with them”