Quotes from Azzedine Alaia

I put myself on the same level as everyone else around me - from the directrice to the workman, everyone. Except my pets - they are the Kings; you must treat them like royalty.

I'm always telling young designers to take the time to surround themselves with women.

You know Sarkozy offered me the Legion d'honneur medal? I refused. People said I refused because I don't like Sarkozy, but that's ridiculous. I refused because I don't like decorations - except on women.

A human being is not a machine. Especially when it comes to creating.

I have total confidence in Beaute Prestige International to accompany me in creating a perfume that interprets my work and my world.

Karl Lagerfeld never touched a pair of scissors in his life.

I love films-they are like paintings.

The danger is we're losing sight of what women really want to wear.

I take it to heart that, for example, there aren't enough funds for AIDS research, but people pay 20 times the value of an item of clothing.

When I see beautiful clothes, I want to keep them, preserve them... Clothes, like architecture and art, reflect an era.

As a child, I was raised with my grandmother, alongside all my cousins, and the kitchen was always full.

There was a woman in Tunisia called Madame Pinot. She was a midwife and had helped in the birth of my siblings and me. I assisted her. I helped women give birth to a lot of babies when I was very young.

In modelling, it's very hard to keep in touch with the people you knew when you started.

Women must know themselves better than anyone. If you have ugly legs, wear long dresses. If you have long, great legs, show them.

There are certain people I am allergic to. I even intervene when I don't like a customer; I rush in and check all the names. If I don't like them, I don't take them.

It's important to make women feel confident, because I think they are more important than men.

My obsession is to make women beautiful. When you create with that in mind, things can't go out of fashion.

I used to spend my nights oversewing dresses for a local dressmaker in order to pay for my school equipment.

I think women should be seductive, not triste. There's enough sadness in life now without making women look sad, too.

I'm happier about my friends than I am about my work. I still have a long way to go with work. My friends, that's the one thing I'm sure about.

A woman is like an actress: she's always onstage.

Ballet costumes are easier that opera because they are designed for movement.

My father could be very strict, but very fair. His father was the same. We all respected my grandfather; he was the head of the clan. Every morning, we all had to say good morning and kiss his hand. But not me. I jumped on his lap and bit him.

I love American girls. They're audacious. They put more outrageous things on their bodies than anybody.