I came here when I was 20. I came to go to school, but I ended up working for Halston as an assistant. That happened in a very strange way. My father had a meeting with Halston. And my father said to me, 'Join me. I want you to meet this amazing American designer.' And I happened to just tag along, and Halston offered me a job.

My parents noticed my love for clothes and encouraged me to study design abroad. I decided to join the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York but never ended up there.

I love designing bridal. I do not follow trends - I design dresses that are relevant to the times.

When I was designing Mrs. Obama's dress, half of me was saying, 'What would Halston do?' The other half was saying, 'Be who you are.' Halston, me, America, India - it's been such a great combination. This is what makes me who I am, with the clean lines I learned from Halston and complicated Indian over-the-top Bollywood traditions.

I come from an orthodox Muslim family.

The death penalty is ineffective as a deterrent, and the appeals process is expensive and cruel to the surviving family members.

All I care is that my family, and my loved ones, understand me. Or that they understand me to a degree - I don't understand me very much. And I don't need the world to understand me. That is the most egocentric thing.

My kids love going to school. When my son started going to kindergarten, we asked him, 'How was it?' and his only complaint was that he didn't get to stay in there longer.