Matthew Williamson

My design philosophy is to make women feel like peacocks.

I guess I will always be known as a designer who references Ibiza, even though I've only been to the island a couple of times in my early twenties.

I'm not one to pat myself on my back, but I have had a career for 20 years, and if people are interested in how I did it or if I can give any advice, then that's lovely.

It's always better when travelling to be in a place where your friends know the area well.

We know what the customer wants, and so we're buying in a totally different way.

London has a very specific kind of style; it's very different to Milan, Paris, and New York. It's nice having that personality that we haven't lost. It's the English quirky style that people like to see when they come to Fashion Week.

My collections are full of adaptable pieces: within the energetic lifestyle of L.A., they are able to take you from the beach in Malibu to the red carpet in Hollywood.

I wasn't inspired by lunatic asylums or anything like that.

I got my fair share of stick. But I surrounded myself with fabulous girls, and they all loved me because I made them clothes. I remember making them all leopard print tops and tartan skirts for a party we went to once. It's scary to think about it now, actually.

I love the fact that H&M has created a new phenomenon in fashion through the pioneering concept of collaborating with high-end designers to create one-off limited-edition capsule collections. I am thrilled that my creations for H&M will be accessible to - and hopefully enjoyed by - so many people around the world.

Developing a new designer colouring book with Laurence King has been a real passion project of mine.

You can't deny the experience of a store. It's fantastic if you're a global brand and you've got the power or the funds to support that bricks-and-mortar space, but we certainly weren't and aren't.