Top 72 Quotes & Sayings by John Rocha

We have achieved tremendous success in Ireland and internationally on the strength of our creativity and design skills.

Guys want to be cool without appearing to be bothered about trends.

I made my final collection in college in London using Irish handwoven wool. That is how I discovered Ireland first; I just fell in love with it, really.

The most important part of my work on The Orion Building was the creation within the apartments of living space which inspires people and the way they live their lives, whether they have bought a one-bedroom apartment or the penthouse. This building is beautiful to see, sense, and experience.

Just because something is trendy doesn't mean it will suit you.

Fabric is the foundation of a collection.

I'm a British designer, and it's great to show on your own ground.

Fashion is like a four-legged table: you need a good designer, a very good business manager, a good manufacturer, and a very good distributor. Without all the legs, table collapses.

I never set out to do interior design; I just do what I do, and some people come along and want me to work with them.

My dream home would be a fishing lodge in New Zealand.

I think natural fibers look better over time. The more you wear them, they look even better.

My life is about family and friends as well as work.

I went from fashion to glass in 1995, and I'm very interested in architecture.

To create a beautiful thing with unlimited money is easy!

I like to create a simple space and surround myself with things that I like to look at.

Many women in their 40s make the mistake of wearing clothes that are too tight. Skimpy dresses and tight trousers can make you look older, so get the best fit you can find.

Men like clothes they can wear to work and afterwards. They don't want things to be complicated.

There was the Cultural Revolution just over the border, and Hong Kong felt quite dodgy. My younger brother's wife actually swam from China to Hong Kong to escape. I realised in the '60s that I had to get out.

I can speak Cantonese, but I can't speak about fashion - I learnt all my fashion in Europe, so often, during interviews in Chinese I just don't know the right word - it can be very hard to explain things.

As a heterosexual designer, it is really, really important to have a woman's point of view.

My family was quite poor, and the NHS was recruiting people from abroad to do psychiatric nursing. It was the only hope I had to leave Hong Kong.

I still love Birkenstocks. I just think they are the most comfortable things; I even wear them in winter sometimes.

My homes are similar in style because the same design principles run through all areas of my work.

I used to play football, and then my wife bought me a fishing rod.

I love white walls because white reflects the light and is a great backdrop for art.

Dubai is a vibrant city: Big cars, big buildings... it reminds me of my home town, Hong Kong. People are always on the move here, and there's a lot going on. There are some wonderful architecture and some not-so-wonderful.

Design has always been at the heart of our business.

Your 30s is the time to embrace bold, zingy colour patterns and to follow trends while taking time to get used to what really suits you.

I always challenge myself to do something better, and people in the industry appreciate that.

During fashion week, I dream about fashion; afterwards, I dream about fishing. After fashion week, I always go fishing to wind down.

As you get older, your skin tone will change, and that means the colours that suit you best change, too. Take a trip to a department store and ask for advice, or simply hold colours close to your face in the mirror, as this should give you a good idea of what works.

I turned my hand to costume design a few years ago when I created the outfits for 'This Is the Sea,' with Richard Harris and Samantha Morton. It's a very different discipline to being a fashion designer, though - you have to rein in your own vision and work to a tight brief.

I believe that IT is the way forward. Every other industry utilises IT, and I feel that fashion needs to use it more extensively to move forward.

I am trained as a fashion designer and do not claim to be an expert architect or anything like that. I won't do something unless I know I can do it.

As I get older and older, people like my work more and more.

I always have a cigar when I catch a fish.

I want romance; I want people to be happy in their relationships.

I love fashion, but fashion is not my whole life.

When I left college, nobody expected much of me - and nor did I.

I always promised myself that I wouldn't do catwalk shows until the day I died.

We cater for fashion-conscious people.

I love my black shirts; I have usually 14 of them at any one time.

Unfortunately, I used to play in goal, and I broke my hand. Two fingers. The ball hit me and bent my fingers back. I used to play every Sunday. I was quite competitive.

A woman can look incredibly sexy in a black suit.

My most precious possession is a 13.5-feet-long fishing rod, made by an American firm called Loomis.

It might be a selfish choice, but I find it quite difficult to design for individuals and prefer the distance of larger schemes. It's the same reason why, as a designer, I don't do wedding dresses.

Fashion remains closest to my heart. I get genuinely excited by my collections - I never wanted to be a businessman.

At primary school, we would pick up plastic petals on the way home to make flowers. Now you might call it child labour, but we did it for pocket money.

When I was young, we always went to our posh cousins at Christmas. My dad made sure we had new shoes and clean clothes - he was really proud - and that's why I felt different from everyone living around me. We had the first television on the estate, the first fridge.

Fashion is instant - after six months, it disappears, and you have to start again. That's the nature of it.

I will never see myself as a businessman. I'm a designer. I have to be true to what I believe.

I want to challenge myself in new mediums; I want to leave myself open to different things.

I'm interested in beauty more than anything else.

I'm like a conductor. I come up with ideas, and I get all these people to make great music together. I have a team of really talented assistant designers. I have architects in my office. People I trained from the beginning in menswear, womenswear, and home. I have a great team who know what I want and feel and translate that into beautiful results.

Talent always shouts at you.

Beautiful fabrics last; synthetics don't. Certain fabrics, such as linen or cotton, develop their own character over time.

It is hard to have a fashion business in any country, but even more difficult in Ireland.

I think, as a designer, what you have to do is challenge yourself to do what you do, but better.

I have no idea why, but I find that men make more of an impact on me in films than women - even very beautiful ones.

I dress pop stars, and I dress my doctor. It's about attitude. I do what I love, and I'm lucky to do it. It's a long way from Hong Kong.