The name Holly Fulton has become synonymous with daring, bold graphic prints which you just know if you wear you'll have a brilliant time in.

I went to public and state schools - not at the same time. I did my art foundation course at Harrogate College of Arts. This brilliant tutor suggested I apply to Central Saint Martins. I adored it.

I don't really have a mentor.

My longest collaborative working relationship is with Katie Grand, the editor-in-chief of 'Love' magazine. Katie's an inspiration and a sounding block. She's got such great taste.

You take it very seriously when you start any project, but not everything in life ends up where you think it's going to be.

People often think that the world fashion is so full of a certain pretense that it can't just be about going for something because it suits you and looks great, and it's nicely cut and is made of beautiful fabric. You know, if it has a bit of lightness and playfulness to it, then I think people just respond to that really well.

Everybody's got a lot to their personalities. You're not just one element. There are some days you want something that can be a bit stricter or a bit more disciplined or something a bit more floaty and a bit freer.

Women I've known have always been quite strong and confident women. Sure, I've got some friends who aren't so overtly confident, or at least don't appear that way. But when you get to know them, they are very much so.

Making your own clothes is great - but don't make everything, or I'll be out of a job!

'Irony' is such an over-used word.

DAKS is a much more restrained silhouette, and there's a real emphasis on daywear, outerwear, and tailoring. It's more stripped-down.

I'm interested in women who have got character and experience and an opinion about things.

I love London. Wherever I've lived, I've always had my flat here.

I very much like Christopher Kane. He actually did a work placement with me, and you could spot his talent straight away.

Due to the hectic, non-stop nature of my work, I'm always using my BlackBerry to stay in touch with my studio, wherever I am.

The women that wear my clothes would want a pink BlackBerry in their handbag.

We want to be the go-to business for super-special daywear and eveningwear, to focus on what we are known for and what our customers want from us.

I did an art foundation course, and I knew I wanted to do something in a creative field. And fashion just seemed like the most fun.

I didn't set out wanting to be a fashion designer from the age of 3. It wasn't that kind of dream.

Some things can be quite stupid yet interesting. Life can be like that.

I have an art-school background, not a fashion background where it's like, 'Oh, we're going on holiday to Miami.'

I go to contemporary galleries all around the world when I can. There's always something historical and something contemporary; those are my rock references.

I'd really love to dress Lauren Bacall. She's incredibly interesting - a gorgeous, stylish woman with a strong personality.

If a piece is individually made to measure, then it's couture.

I believe in the democracy of design.

I don't like po-faced fashion.

My parents weren't into fashion. I didn't have an eccentric granny who mixed lace mantillas with tweed.

I am more interested in people's attitude than someone who is a perfect face. Every time I walk the streets of London, I see someone who interests me. It doesn't matter how old they are.

I can be very modern and experimental.

I think a bit of jewellery that cheers you up for the day isn't a bad thing.

I love historical references.

When I was younger, I wanted to be a marine biologist, among other things.

I had a great teacher who was really encouraging and said I should go to Central Saint Martins. So I worked my socks off, and I managed to get a place there. It was there that I developed a real love for design.

The effort you put into anything when you're a designer is 100% because it's all about what you get back out from it.

I've been a fella in the fashion industry for a very long time now, and the industry has been very good to me.

I do like designing clothes that are - not exactly lofty but intellectual in their sexiness.

I really like doing good work and working with good people - that's the thing that drives me.

Animals. They're nice, aren't they? They're good things, animals.

Fashion was spontaneous and about getting things done, which I really liked.

My designs are slightly subversive in their way; it can be in the cut or the colour, but they're always obtainable: they're not so difficult that a 40-year-old woman wanting to go to a cocktail party looking foxy and a little bit different in something well-made would be alienated by them.

I can never really comment on rumours.

I think when wedding dresses are talked about, every woman has a different set of factors in her mind of what it could be because they've been thinking about it possibly for such a long time.

I like to have a swim in the morning, a great way to start the day.

A healthy body really does make for a healthy mind.

I try to exercise three to four times a week.

I was never one for just sitting in front of the telly.

Cecil Beaton was Andy Warhol before Andy Warhol, really.

The reason I wanted to work with New Look was that they wanted to stick with one designer and do lots of collections a year.

Even if you have a lot of money, you may not want to spend a lot of it on clothes.

People are often a bit more adventurous with swimming costume prints; they like the idea of something a bit more jolly.