I was smartly dressed as a little girl growing up in Iraq. I remember particularly liking a red and blue polka-dot dress with a matching umbrella. I always wanted to alter my clothes, so I sabotaged a lot of my pretty dresses, which made my mother angry.
All the women on my mother’s side of the family were very stylish, like movie stars from 1940s Hollywood. I loved the 1939 filmThe Women; there’s one scene of a fashion show that is the only part in colour. The costumes were totally camp but I found them inspiring.
There was a time as a student when I wondered whether I should study fashion rather than architecture. Architecture takes seven years minimum to create something from design to building. In fashion you can see an idea become reality within six months.
I studied architecture in London in the 1980s. I was always dressing up in clothes I’d made myself. I went through a period of wrapping myself in layers of Chinese silk.
I’m very fond of Japanese fashion designers such as Yohji Yamamoto because his pieces are so theatrical.
Issey Miyake’s pleats are very practical when you travel because you can shove his dresses in a suitcase and they’re fine when you arrive.
When I went to the punk-themed Met Gala in 2013 I wore a spiky Prada coat. I was like a sequined hedgehog. Madonna did the theme very well in a tartan Riccardo Tisci jacket and fishnets.
I used to have a shoe fetish but I can’t wear high heels any more. My shoes used to be the most extreme out of all my clothes: some were furry, or made from metal. Now I almost only wear Prada shoes.
I don’t believe in power dressing to go to the office; women should wear what suits them. There’s an assumption that if you dress like a man, then people will respond to you more. You shouldn’t have to look drab to appear professional.
My idea of comfort is unlike anybody else’s. I can feel comfortable in flamboyant pieces.
Zaha has designed limited editions of Will.i.am’s Puls smartwatch
