Richard Nicoll, courtesy of the designer

British designer, Richard Nicoll, launched his namesake label in 2005 after graduating from Central Saint Martins and apprenticing under Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton. The Australian expat has a knack for sophisticated, wearable, and often colorful designs, which have found him a well-devoted fan base of modern women. We chat with the London fashion week favorite about everything from childhood bike rides to breezing through that dense Steve Jobs biography.

ELLE: What is your favorite smell?

RN: Sea Air

ELLE: What do you consider the epitome of happiness?

RN: Freedom and Knowledge

ELLE: How do you define luxury?

RN: Freedom and Travel

ELLE: What is the last dream you remember?

RN: I barely ever remember anything that isn’t really abstract.

ELLE: What’s your favorite childhood memory?

RN: Riding my bike without trainer wheels.

ELLE: What’s the last book you read and loved?

RN: The Steve Jobs Biography

ELLE: Describe your home’s aesthetic.

RN: Random, sentimental, colorful, and comfortable. My living room is full of colorful pictures and books and my bedroom has nothing in it at all besides my bed—and it’s all white.

ELLE: What are your vices?

RN: Smoking, drinking, and friends.

ELLE: Describe yourself in 5 words or less.

RN: Complicated, generous, trusting, free-spirited.

ELLE: What possession will you never throw away?

RN: My design and design development archive and my Linder Sterling collages.