I've been designing since I was 8. I started sketching dresses I could wear when skating. I was always involved in all aspects of skating, not just the technique, the choreography, the music, but the visual aspects, too - what I should wear.

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I want people to see the dress, but focus on the woman.

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They never ask the celebrities why they don't wear their own clothes on the red carpet.

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I never thought I'd be successful. It seems in my own mind that in everything I've undertaken I've never quite made the mark. But I've always been able to put disappointments aside. Success isn't about the end result; it's about what you learn along the way.

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When you have a passion for something then you tend not only to be better at it, but you work harder at it too.

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People get very trapped where they are. When they hear 'fashion' they get intimidated, particularly at the upper end because it's so elitist.

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When I decided to get married at 40, I couldn't find a dress with the modernity or sophistication I wanted. That's when I saw the opportunity for a wedding gown business.

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It's important to view fashion as personal and creative - even for brides. When brides ask me, "What's the best advice you can give me on my wedding day?" I always have the same answer: "Be yourself." Someone's marrying you, they love you for who you are, and they don't want you to be someone else, they want you to be who you are. If you never wear blue eye shadow, why would you put it on on your wedding day? If you wear your hair simply, why would you suddenly dye it a different color and get a big 'do? To me it's about respect and self-understanding and honesty.

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The key is falling in love with something, anything. If your heart's attached to it, then your mind will be attached to it.

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In the end, it’s not about failure, it’s about how much you love what you do.

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