I am impressed with America's capacity for change, and their ability to bring someone as inspirational as Barack Obama into the White House.
It is imperative to create luxury products that are also functional. My vision for fashion precludes frivolous, fantasy-only designs. That said, fashion does tend to move more quickly than interior design. One doesn't change their couch every season as one does their wardrobe.
My brands all are unique in terms of their spirits, but they have the same Armani stamp. There is a level of taste which runs through every single product. Sitting side by side, they are perhaps more stimulating than they would be just on their own. It gives a new idea, a new proposal, a new perspective.
Clean lines have always been important to me, both in terms of interiors as well as fashion. For interiors, I am more interested in textures and surface treatments than bold color or print - the vein on a wood or the shine on a lacquer, for example. I know immediately when something isn't working - usually it's a question of consistency - and I make instantaneous decisions on how to remedy the situation.
Retailing has become fiercely competitive. Today there are many large global fashion companies who have opened up mono-brand stores in major cities around the world. When I first opened my boutique in New York, in 1985, there were almost no other European luxury brands present with their own stores. Now Fifth Avenue is packed with huge stores from major Italian and French labels.
Today, people no longer go out with a total look or ensemble taken straight from the runway. Customers mix and match between labels and between price points. The idea is to create something for yourself: what you want, and how you want it. I realize that shoppers want more flexibility and choice now.
The interesting thing about basketball is that it is played recreationally all over the world in playgrounds where people shoot hoops. Perhaps it is because of this that the look of the game seems to have been able to cross over into streetwear more easily than that of some sports that are confined to more specialist arenas.
Youth culture adopts Armani and adapts it in its own way, as befits youthful enthusiasm.
All my work at Armani is based primarily on my personal vision of style, and while I differentiate between the look and mood of my various labels, I am never overly concerned with being 'on trend.'
My aesthetic is about simplicity, elegance, and comfort, whether that is interpreted in a man's suit or a track suit.
Italy is not widely thought of as a pioneer of youth culture in the way, say, the UK is.
Sports will always be important in global culture, and so fashion, as a reflection of cultural trends, will always incorporate influences from sports.
Technical garments for sporting performance will, I believe, simply become more and more fit for purpose and will perform better and better. What is perhaps more interesting is how this technology will cross over into the fashion mainstream. We already see this trend in everything from footwear to outerwear.
Our wardrobe needs to be more versatile, and, above all, it needs to be comfortable.
Modern life requires us to be more and more flexible in our attire.
Today we no longer live in a way that is constrained by simple working or leisure environments - we travel, we work on laptops in coffee shops, we go out to dinner straight from work.
The stars I have worked with not only look good in my clothes, but they also embody a spirit of dedication and hard work that I relate to and admire.
To be the best in your field is a great ambition, and requires discipline and a huge amount of effort. The athletes who possess this drive are the ones I am attracted to.
Of course sportsmen and women are not only great role models, they are great fashion models too, as they are at the peak of physical perfection.
Of course, the muscular build of athletes is always a challenge for a designer, but my clothing's softness and comfort, which are central aspects of my stylistic vision, allow it to adapt to various physical builds effortlessly.
I like to think that when an athlete wears Armani, it makes him or her feel confident, and as we all know, confidence is fundamental to winning in any competition.
I've always had a great interest in sports that embody the values of commitment, hard work and teamwork - all values I strongly believe in.
Sports are fundamental for growing in a healthy way: they represent fair competition, strength, and exercise, which enhance the body's healthy balance and strengthen the mind.
Through fashion I have shown my interpretation of the competitive spirit by dressing sportsmen and women, choosing to work with both those who are among the world's most renowned athletes and also those who are yet to achieve fame in the arena of sport.
I have always been fascinated by the values of sport and loved its rituals; in fact, since ancient times sport has been a byword for top physical prowess and spectacular athletic performance.
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