“Fashion has a reason to be, because in fashion you can find new kinds of expression about human beings. It’s my way to communicate.”

I want to put a soul in a garment. I don’t want my clothes to be perfect, because human beings are not perfect.

Who could imagine a poet wearing anything other than black?

I work for men that I would love to meet, somebody who I could fall in love with, someone who intrigues me.

I just wait because I think people will find me. And I’m not the kind of person who will knock on somebody’s door. I wait. If they’re good for me, they will come towards me.

Creating is a lonely thing in a lot of ways.

For me black is not dark, it’s poetic. I don’t think of gothic I think of classic – it’s a big difference.

Black is not sad. Black is poetic.

I never leave anything behind. It’s like a history, a chain, a line of life, you just have to move and make new steps, and keep it evolving – but my soul is my soul.

Good fashion for me is like rock ‘n’ roll – there’s always a little rebellion in it.

A new time is coming both for my personal life, and the brand Ann Demeulemeester. I feel it’s time to separate our paths.

I’d like to cut an attitude into clothes.

Fashion has a right to exist, because it permits the people to define themselves over and over again.

Jewelry is something that has to do with emotion. That aspect of jewelry really interests me.

Those that think my clothes are androgynous also still believe that women should look like Barbie dolls. That’s precisely the problem, the deep-rooted assumptions about what is feminine.

I’ve always been intrigued by cutout silhouettes. They are so intriguing, so poetic-the shadow of a soul. They tell everything about a character and they are open to be filled with one’s own imagination.

Black is not sad. Bright colours are what depress me. They’re so empty. Black is poetic. How do you imagine a poet? In a bright yellow jacket? Probably not.

Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.

As so often happens, I discover that it would have been better to keep my mouth shut.

I feel like I was writing as I was learning to talk. Writing was always a go-to form of communication. And I knew I could sing from being in tune with the radio.

Words can be communicative only between those who share similar experiences.

People make music to get a reaction. Music is communication.

I say what I mean. I don’t speak in code. That’s why I am a star and ace communicator.

Leadership requires two things: a vision of the world that does not yet exist and the ability to communicate it.

Communicate your passion clearly, concisely and with genuine conviction.