Nicolas Ghesquière on the Time He Sewed his Mother’s Ski Overalls into a Dress

In a candid interview with W Editor at Large Lynn Hirschberg, Louis Vuitton creative director Nicolas Ghesquière reflects on the childhood memories that informed his career as a fashion designer.

“The discovery of the family sewing machine was very interesting and sometimes very dangerous,” he says. “I cut my grandfather’s trench coat into a crop jacket.”

He also discusses his first kiss, being “terrified” when he got his first big break at age 25, the impact of working with Jean Paul Gaultier and the misconception that designers work in an ivory tower.

“When I start a collection, I try to be very agile about the creative process,” he says. “At the end of the day, what you make, it’s going to belong to people. So it’s always so interesting to see what people make with it.” Watch the whole interview, below.