What do you consider attractive in a woman? Originality and intelligence. The women we admire are independent and strong; we refuse to call them muses, as that has a passive undertone.

What is your favourite item in your wardrobe? Our glasses. Life would be pretty blurry without them.

What is your one piece of fashion or beauty advice? Smile. It is good for your health, inexpensive and no one has ever created something that could rival a smiling face.

Biggest fashion faux pas? We all have pieces in our wardrobes that were better left in the shop. But they do say something about the society of the time, and your position in it.

What aspect of fashion do you hate the most? Our last collection, “NO”, was based on the fast pace and the impossibility to sustain such a tempo for a long time. Demand for the new has reached a stage where it is difficult for a piece to develop into something of lasting importance. Collections are picked up by the internet, and high street fashion copies styles quicker than a designer can produce the style commercially. We do not complain; we see it as an exciting time when designers have to re-establish their position in fashion.

These days, do you think there is as much pressure on men as on women to look good? It definitely has become more of a topic of conversation at parties. What we consider attractive in a woman also applies for a man. It is not physical beauty alone that makes people stand out.

Men's grooming products: do you use them? Would you tell your friends? Yes, and we have absolutely no shame in telling our friends. Why would we?

How do you think people perceive you from the way you dress? That we are twins, and therefore interchangeable.

What are your five desert island staples? An iPod, some sunblock, mosquito spray, a lighter and a case of champagne (to send messages in the bottles, of course).

What is a fashion day in the life of Viktor and Rolf? Less glamorous than you would expect, we would hope.

A showcase of the designers' work, The House of Viktor & Rolf, opens today at the Barbican Art Gallery (www.barbican.org.uk/art gallery)

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