1. The last item you would give away and why?

My Nigel Cabourn dungarees, purely because they are a staple when working in my studio. They are very practical and comfortable.

2. Favourite place in the world? 

Belfast. There’s really no place like home. Although I moved to London 11 years ago and love it here, there are no better people or atmosphere than in Belfast on a good day.

3. Silk, cotton, or cashmere and why? 

Cashmere. I love how it feels, and I appreciate the extra care that must be taken with cashmere clothing. I have a cashmere Pangaia tracksuit, which is stored sealed with some Clothes Doctor moth repellent. I also use a cashmere brush; it’s like having a pet.

4. Best book ever? 

Range by David Epstein. It’s about the need for more generalists who cross disciplines.

5. What is the soundtrack to your life? 

Sometimes Six by Mansun, and sometimes Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder. It depends on my mood (and how my research is going).

6. A quote to change your life? 

“Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are.” — Søren Kierkegaard

7. One thing you wish you’d learned at school, or the one thing you learned in school that you couldn’t live without? 

I wish I had known how scientific fashion really is. So many processes involved in making our clothes rely on scientific understanding. I started learning this later in life, and it might have made me pay more attention in science at school.

8. Who would you want to be stuck in a lift with? 

(Dead) Anthony Bourdain, (alive) Rick Rubin.

9. If you had the power to change anything you wanted in the world, what would it be? 

Stop capitalism from existing.

10. Three things your friends would say about you? 

Opinionated, determined, passionate.

11. Your three favourite fabrics:

Linen, wool, and denim.