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Girls have always wanted to be pretty, even in Egyptian times. Cleopatra wore all that eyeliner, you know.

I have nothing against the veil. And I think that, wrongly, many in the West look at the veil as a symbol of oppression. Now, as long as a woman chooses to wear the veil, because that's her belief and because of her own - that's a personal relationship with God, so she should be free to dress in whichever way she wants.

In terms of fashion, I love adding a fun scarf to whatever I'm wearing - it's a great way to dress up a plain outfit!

That's something the head scarf, in a symbolic way, is meant to do in Arabic culture: it defines your relationship to your husband and the men of your family differently than your relationship to the average guy on the street you've never met.

I think the veil is a way of taking power away from women.

I grew up in Perugia, Umbria, in a world outside of fashion, so I didn't learn about it until I was older and moved away. In Milan, the women are really into fashion, and all the big fashion brands are based there, but I don't think they feel pressure to look good all the time.

London is a good fashion city. They're a little more daring. There's the element of the aristocracy, which is always interesting.

If fashion has a political significance, it is probably culturally, as a camouflage.

The Middle Eastern woman is sophisticated; she is modern. She knows fashion more than anyone else, and she is really sexy, and she does know how to live fashion, and I think we can all learn from each other.

I adore the challenge of creating truly modern clothes, where a woman's personality and sense of self are revealed. I want people to see the dress, but focus on the woman.