Frida Giannini believes fashion is all about “natural elegance”.

The Gucci creative director – who rose up through the ranks from design director at the Italian fashion house to her current role – thinks fashion is important but admits clothes cannot make a person look good if they are lacking natural style.

She explained: “The base of everything is what’s inside, your natural elegance – authenticity is important. If you’re not elegant in yourself you can never look sophisticated, unique and original.”

Frida – who is responsible for both womenswear and menswear at the iconic label – revealed she gets the inspiration for her menswear line from an eclectic mix of people including Jimmy Stewart, David Bowie and The Rolling Stones.

She says she designs clothes for men with an Italian soul and prefers to look to past icons rather than today’s celebrities when creating new collections for the brand.

Frida explained to Esquire magazine: “I design for international men but with an Italian soul. I try to reference men from the past, men such as James Stewart and other actors from the Fifties and Sixties because they were so elegant and so charming. But at the same time I’m attracted to rock stars from the Seventies such as The Rolling Stones and David Bowie.”