Quotes from John Rocha

Fabric is the foundation of a collection.

During fashion week, I dream about fashion; afterwards, I dream about fishing. After fashion week, I always go fishing to wind down.

I went from fashion to glass in 1995, and I'm very interested in architecture.

I still love Birkenstocks. I just think they are the most comfortable things; I even wear them in winter sometimes.

There was the Cultural Revolution just over the border, and Hong Kong felt quite dodgy. My younger brother's wife actually swam from China to Hong Kong to escape. I realised in the '60s that I had to get out.

My Chinese grandmother was a dressmaker, so I always enjoyed dressing up and looking cool.

I made my final collection in college in London using Irish handwoven wool. That is how I discovered Ireland first; I just fell in love with it, really.

I turned my hand to costume design a few years ago when I created the outfits for 'This Is the Sea,' with Richard Harris and Samantha Morton. It's a very different discipline to being a fashion designer, though - you have to rein in your own vision and work to a tight brief.

My family was quite poor, and the NHS was recruiting people from abroad to do psychiatric nursing. It was the only hope I had to leave Hong Kong.

It was a very, very happy childhood, but I always knew I wanted to see the world.

Beautiful fabrics last; synthetics don't. Certain fabrics, such as linen or cotton, develop their own character over time.

My heritage is a huge part of everything I do; it is, after all, part of what has made me who I am.

The day I feel my clothes are no longer relevant, I will be happy to step down.

Fashion remains closest to my heart. I get genuinely excited by my collections - I never wanted to be a businessman.

I think my love of form is especially informed by my background, whether this is creating a wonderful silhouette in a dress or finding the perfect shape for a bowl or the 'just so' angle of a table leg.

My homes are similar in style because the same design principles run through all areas of my work.

The most important part of my work on The Orion Building was the creation within the apartments of living space which inspires people and the way they live their lives, whether they have bought a one-bedroom apartment or the penthouse. This building is beautiful to see, sense, and experience.

Fashion is instant - after six months, it disappears, and you have to start again. That's the nature of it.

I never set out to do interior design; I just do what I do, and some people come along and want me to work with them.

I'm like a conductor. I come up with ideas, and I get all these people to make great music together. I have a team of really talented assistant designers. I have architects in my office. People I trained from the beginning in menswear, womenswear, and home. I have a great team who know what I want and feel and translate that into beautiful results.

I can speak Cantonese, but I can't speak about fashion - I learnt all my fashion in Europe, so often, during interviews in Chinese I just don't know the right word - it can be very hard to explain things.

It is hard to have a fashion business in any country, but even more difficult in Ireland.

We have achieved tremendous success in Ireland and internationally on the strength of our creativity and design skills.

Guys want to be cool without appearing to be bothered about trends.