Patrick Cox

I couldn't have asked for a better testimonial than Bob Dylan parting with his own cash for a pair of my shoes.

I love Italy, and that's where I make my own shoes. But the French really do respect designers. Italy is totally different; footwear is an industry. The shoes are all about craft and luxury. French shoes are more about straight lines, and they are way more geometric.

I love talking in lira because, suddenly, everything is in billions.

Rock stars love Cuban heels because a lot of them tend to be diminutive. And I've never met a man who doesn't mind having an extra inch or two anywhere on his body.

It is all about quality of life and being proud of what I do. I need me to be me.

If you use your own name as your business brand, keep in mind that if you lose that brand, you have lost your name. And that is a bit of a problem going forward in life. If you decide to make up a name, and if you have lost that name, then who cares. But when it is your name on the products, and you lose it, that is the game changer.

In fashion, my inspiration comes from pop culture - the 1960s and the following years. Whereas in interior design, my influences are much broader.

As a designer, you are not only a designer, you are also a celebrity, an entertainer, and a spokesperson that speaks on behalf of the company. So you need to realize that you have to embrace all those sides.

My inspiration for interior design is more historical than traditional.

I've stayed in enough hotels so I really know what works and what doesn't design-wise.

Do I miss shoes? I miss the designing, but I don't miss the fashion industry. Those people eat their children.

By the time I came out of college, I was fabulous.