Sense check: a Q&A with Haider Ackermann

Fashion designer Haider Ackermann, creative director at Tom Ford, shares some of the sights, sounds and sensations that shape his world

Haider Ackerman
The scent of smouldering stones takes Haider Ackerman back to his childhood
(Image credit: The Cover Version / Alamy)
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This content was originally published on The Week.

What is the first thing you see in the morning?
The pristine, serene austerity of my white walls.

Describe the view from where you are right now.
I am looking into the loving, questioning eyes of a pitbull called Basil.

Is there a view you can't quite forget?
The immensity of a wide desert in Namibia.

An artist or artists' work you could look at every day?
The raw and emotive work of Tracey Emin. The simplicity of the abstract birds of Constantin Brâncuşi. The organised chaos of Francis Bacon.

Favourite album cover?
"Unknown Pleasures" – Joy Division.

What sound do you like to wake up to?
The early, careful footsteps of my Loved One.

What gets you dancing?
Any beat that makes my heart beat faster gets me dancing.

When did you last dance?
During a one-night escape to Seoul.

Which singer or song do you never tire of hearing – and why?
"Into My Arms" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Those haunting, noble words.

Is there a smell that takes you back to childhood?
The scent of smouldering stones.

What do you smell of today?
Joy.

What does your Augustinus Bader bottle feel like?
One’s own reflection.

What is the aroma of home?
Safe.

Vanilla or lime?
Acid lime.

What's your flavour?
I am not the person you should ask...

Describe a dish that's stayed with you.
Freshly caught fish, burnt by a grill.

Sweet or savoury?
That depends on the hour.

What is the taste of winter?
Hibiki whisky, cigarettes, vanished perfume mingling in the night on one's skin.

What is the taste of autumn?
A silk scarf touched by mist.

What is the taste of summer?
The tender flesh of figs.

Silk or cashmere?
The enveloping nature of cashmere.

Marble or wood?
The embracing nature of wood.

Favourite piece of furniture at home?
The absence of furniture in my apartment.

Felix Bischof

Felix Bischof is the executive editor of The Blend. A contributor to HTSI, British Vogue, Pop and Vanity Fair, he has also worked with brands such as Dior, Piaget and Herzog & de Meuron.