Verbatim: Feb. 16, 2004

I think women are better than men at everything they do. --DIANE VON FURSTENBERG, on female designers

Our industry is obsessed with the idea that to be successful, you need highly paid geniuses. It should forget about geniuses for now. --GIORGIO ARMANI, on the end of star designers

I don't worry about being copied now. What I think is sad is someone like Vivienne Westwood. We're all like her children, and she never got the credit or the rewards. --CHRISTIAN LACROIX, on his past trouble with copycats

Counterfeiting is our worst enemy. It threatens an image for any work of creation. It is the ransom of success. --YVES CARCELLE, chairman, Louis Vuitton, on the growing number of imitations on the market

History is the new celebrity. --KIM WINSER, chief executive, Pringle of Scotland, on the rising importance of provenance over celebrity endorsement