The 5-minute Interview: Basso & Brooke, Designers

'I wish that people would take more notice of punctuation'

The designers Bruno Basso and Christopher Brooke run the London fashion house Basso & Brooke, which was named 'Elle' magazine's new designer of the year in 2006. They will show their sixth ready-to-wear collection this autumn

If I weren't talking to you right now...

Chris: I'd be pattern cutting. It's the only thing I seem to do nowadays.

Bruno: In front of my computer or I'd probably be planting tulips.

A phrase I use too often...

Chris: "If you want something done, do it yourself." I'm a bit of a control freak.

Bruno: "You are what you believe you are."

I wish people would take more notice of...

Chris: Punctuation. For example, when someone writes "their" instead of "they're" and vice-versa. It's just one of those basics. Of course, I excuse it if they speak a different language, or in text messages.

[Bruno didn't answer this]

The most surprising thing that happened to me...

Chris: Eventually setting up our fashion label after talking about it for eight years. I expected to keep saying it without ever doing anything about it.

Bruno: Deciding to come and live in London.

A common misperception of me is...

Bruno: That I'm grumpy.

Chris: People often think I'm under the thumb.

I am not a politician but if I was...

Chris: I would fine people for spitting. And, even worse, when people blow snot out of their nose by blocking the other nostril. What is that about?

Bruno: I think I'd create harder penalties for bad customer service.

I'm good at...

Chris: My job. I'm also good at gardening, pattern cutting, decorating, DIY, cooking and cleaning so, if all else fails, I've got a good few things to fall back on.

Bruno: I'm good at Adobe Photoshop [digital photo manipulation software].

I'm very bad at...

Chris: Being told what to do. It's the bane of my mother's life.

Bruno: Taking planes at 7am.

The ideal night out is...

Chris: Remembering you had the best night of your life but not actually remembering anything.

Bruno: When you meet true friends and say silly things all night long.

In weak moments, I...

Chris: Buy absinthe.

Bruno: Buy Memphis vases.

You know us as designers but in another life, we'd have been...

Chris: A landscape gardener or a maths teacher.

Bruno: The conductor of an orchestra.

The best age to be is...

Chris: When you don't care what people think of you. When you're fearless.

Bruno: In your early 20s.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is...

Chris: Move on.

Bruno: For every action, there will be a reaction.

Alice-Azania Jarvis