Martine Rose: I don’t really care for Martine Rose. It’s not enough to pay the rent

In 2015, after eight years of graft, Rose received an email from Balenciagas’ new creative director Demna Gvasalia. Some would call it a dream. Except Rose never even dared to dream of it. He somehow saw what I had done and wanted me to consult for him, he said. That led to further recognition, and my brand started making money. It felt like someone had pushed a button and we were suddenly into a commercial. The Nike collaboration, where Rose made a backless Shox and Monarchs followed round. Every design sold out on launch day. It allows me to get into corners I’ve only dreamed of, says Rose. The Napapijri partnership followed. Tommy Hilfiger? He wanted to go in, asking Rose to repeat his classic Americana. In January, she was offered the coveted guest designer slot at Pitti Uomo, where she is staging her Fall/Winter 2023 collection, following in the footsteps of Jonathan Anderson and Jil Sander.

None of this was planned. Instead, Rose attributed her success to her apathy towards fashion. I don’t approach brands with a laser focus like many designers do, and I think that helps, she says, explaining that she closed the towel bar after Demna’s email. I had a pint-pulling life in Soho, and a life in the studio. I have another outlet. I am grateful in a sense. I think if you have a certain level of success early on in your career, trying to achieve it all the time is quite difficult when you’re a young designer. I worked behind the scenes for a very long time, made a lot of mistakes, thought things over.

Today Rose is considered one of London’s best designers. I don’t need much to be happy, but I got there in the end. I think I can say that I am a proper designer now.

See Martine Rose at GQ Heroes in Oxfordshire, from 19-21 July, in partnership with BMW UK. For more info and tickets, visit GQHeroes.com