Alexandre Mattiussi: ‘An object I couldn’t part with is my iPhone 6. It’s my life, my third arm – a little piece of technology that connects us all’

My personal style signifier is a crewneck sweater. I think it’s the perfect item to wear on a day-to-day basis, as it’s classic, simple and comfortable. You can wear it dressed up or down and it will always look effortless. £180; 75 Duke Street, London W1 (020-7499 0290; www.amiparis.com).

The last thing I bought and loved was a self‑portrait of photographer Juergen Teller – he’s naked, wearing red lipstick and nail varnish, smoking a cigarette, sitting on a chair in a hotel in Paris. I bought it from gallery Suzanne Tarasieve at the Paris Photo fair. I love his work – he captures the reality of a situation in a way that’s hypernatural. And in his fashion work – for Céline, Louis Vuitton or Marc Jacobs – he captures the quintessence of designers and their collections. I would love to work with him. www.parisphoto.com. www.suzanne-tarasieve.com.

The best gift I’ve given recently was one I frequently give: flowers, and in this case roses, which are the most beautiful. I always go to Debeaulieu, near where I live in Paris’s ninth arrondissement. At Ami we use black and white striped paper for the packaging and this florist has similar paper, so whenever I buy flowers here I ask them to use my paper as a special touch. Rue Henry Monnier 30, 75009 Paris (+331-4526 7868; www.debeaulieu-paris.com).

And the best one I’ve received recently is a pair of beautiful white classic trainers by Pierre Hardy. He is one of my best friends and I offered him a pair of white jeans, so he sent me a pair of white trainers from his last collection in return. He’s a bit of an architect as well as a designer and has a strong sense of proportion and lines. He used to be my teacher at L’Ecole Duperré – a public fashion school in Paris – but then became a friend. £385; www.pierrehardy.com.

The grooming product I couldn’t live without is my scent – Helmut Lang Eau de Cologne. I used to wear it years ago, but it stopped being produced in the early 2000s and I only discovered it was being made again two years ago – it’s a classic haute cologne. £130 for 100ml; www.liberty.co.uk. www.helmutlang.com.

The last item of clothing I added to my wardrobe was a raincoat by K-Way, the classic French raincoat manufacturer. I always have it with me – it’s black with a beautiful coloured zip. It wasn’t expensive – only €100 or so. I love to mix it with streetwear, like a tracksuit; mixing it up is really my style. www.k-way.co.uk.

If I didn’t live in Paris, I would live in Formentera in the Balearic Islands. I’ve been there every summer with friends for the past 10 years and it’s an amazing island – any new building is low‑rise and discreet, so nothing looks too new, and we go everywhere by bicycle. Sant Francesc, though small, is the main town, with a great flea market on Saturdays. Fonda Pepe, opened in 1953, is an authentic local restaurant with fantastic fish and meat and a crazy atmosphere. At the end of the island there’s a lighthouse with a little café and a beautiful view of the Mediterranean, which is the colour of the Caribbean Sea. And La Savina beach is an idyllic stretch of sand that’s only accessible if you walk through the sea with your belongings on your head. Fonda Pepe, Calle Mayor, 07871 Sant Ferran de Ses Roques (+34971-328 033). La Mola Lighthouse, www.farsdebalears.org.

My style icon is the actor Louis Garrel. He represents my ideal of a Frenchman: nonchalance, elegance, a beautiful way of moving and a very simple and classic way of dressing. He has a bit of stubble and I can imagine him smoking a cigarette in a café. He doesn’t try too hard.

The best souvenir I’ve brought home is a big bouquet of roses. I go to Marrakech two to three times a year to rest and take a break, and stay at the Beldi Country Club, which is surrounded by a big field of roses. Every time I go I bring a bunch back – the blooms are huge and smell amazing. Km 6 Route de Barrage, Marrakech 40000 (+212-5243 83950; www.beldicountryclub.com).

The sight that inspires me is Le Jardin du Palais-Royal in the middle of Paris, which is a historic and special place. You really feel the architecture, the garden, the fountains and the trees. It’s where my office used to be and I would go there for lunch, sit on a bench, enjoy the romance of Paris and have a moment to myself. I’m always moving quickly from point A to point B and this is somewhere I can really stop and enjoy the city around me. Rue de Montpensier 8, Paris 75001.

The books on my bedside table include photography books by Juergen Teller and Richard Avedon. There’s also a novel a friend recommended called Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman – it’s the love story of two boys, set on the Italian Riviera, and he told me it was the best book of his life. The best book I’ve read in the past year is probably To Build a Fire by Jack London, a breathtaking story of a man and his husky dog trying to survive a winter in the Yukon.

The thing I’m eyeing next is a holiday. I’m joining my best friend who’s travelling around South America for a year – we’re going to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands. He had a big break at work and I’m very proud of him; we all work very hard and sometimes you have to have the courage to stop and take some time just for you. The idea of joining such a good friend in a new place is quite magical.

A recent find is the restaurant Le Ventre de l’Architecte in Marseille, in Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse, where I went a few months ago for dinner. It’s filled with 1950s furniture by Prouvé and Jacobsen and the menu changes daily. The building was completed in 1953 and the huge brutalist design is a concept for a global building where everything is available – there’s a supermarket, apartments, even a hairdresser. It was a modern way to think in the 1950s and the way it’s done is beautiful – it’s a piece of art. Boulevard Michelet 280, 13008 Marseille (+334-2831 3922; www.hotellecorbusier.com/en/restaurant). www.marseille-citeradieuse.org.

An indulgence I would never forgo is French red wine, especially Côtes du Rhône. I always drink a glass of red wine at dinner, and sometimes at lunch too. I don’t drink anything else – beer or whisky – but sharing a good glass of red wine with friends is a charming experience.

An object I couldn’t part with is my iPhone 6. It’s my life, my third arm – a little piece of technology that connects us all. I have a computer, but don’t use it. I break my phone all the time, and lost it recently while riding my scooter, but someone called and brought it back to me, thankfully.

The last music I downloaded was a piece of music from Pedro Almodóvar’s 2002 film Talk to Her called Cucurrucucú Paloma, sung by Caetano Veloso. It’s amazing, beautiful, crazy and very dramatic – I’d love to use it in my next show. From age four to 14 I used to be a ballet dancer, so was very into classical music, but when I stopped dancing, I stopped listening to music. I only started listening again when I was 24, and now I’m into music that touches me deeply. This guy’s voice is amazing, like a bird. It’s so poetic and quiet and peaceful.

The one artist whose work I would collect if I could is Alexander Calder. I’m inspired by the playfulness of his work, especially the classic blue, yellow and red mobiles. I’m fascinated by the way everything balances – it’s perfection.

If I had to limit my shopping to one neighbourhood in one city, I’d choose where I live in Paris – between Pigalle and Saint Georges. Debeaulieu, to buy fresh flowers; Causses, an independent fruit and vegetable shop where everything is very natural and fresh; and several restaurants, including the one in Hôtel Grand Amour, which has a beautiful café/bar with a terrace; Le Mansart, a classic Paris café with tables on the street; and L’Annexe, a relaxed French restaurant on Rue Chaptal, the road where Serge Gainsbourg grew up. I like the area because it’s very much a village with classic Parisian architecture. The streets are small and there’s not much traffic – or many tourists. And people live there, rather than there being too many offices. Because I’ve lived there for the past 10 years, I have a particular relationship with the vendors and I say hello to everyone in the street, which I think is important. Causses, Rue Notre Dame de Lorette 55 (+331-5316 1010; www.causses.org). Debeaulieu, Rue Henry Monnier 30 (+331-4526 7868; www.debeaulieu-paris.com). Hôtel Grand Amour, Rue de la Fidélité 18 (+331-4416 0330; www.hotelamourparis.fr). L’Annexe, Rue Chaptal 15 (+331-4874 6552; www.annexe-restaurant.fr). Le Mansart, Rue Mansart 1 (+331-5692 0599).

The people I rely on for wellbeing include Claus, whose La Table du Petit-Déjeuner café is great for a complete, healthy breakfast, with fresh fruit juices and everything homemade. He has a grocery shop opposite the café too, so you can take things home. I also see a hypnotist once a month; I went for the first time two years ago to quit smoking – it only took one session – but now I address a lot of other things as well. After an hour’s session I feel very different. Claus – La Table du Petit-Déjeuner, Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau 14, 75001 Paris.

The last meal that truly impressed me was lunch at Ciampini in Rome with some friends. We had the best mozzarella and tomato starter – it’s amazing that in Italy the produce is so beautiful you can just have tomatoes with olive oil and salt and it’s perfect – followed by escalope Milanese; it’s a classic dish, and the last dish I want to have before I die. Piazza di San Lorenzo in Lucina 29, Rome 00186 (+3906-687 6606; www.ciampini.com).

My favourite room in my house is my bedroom; I love going to bed – it’s the best moment of the day. My room is very bright and minimalist, with white walls, white linen, big mirrors and a view of Montmartre from the window.

In my fridge you’ll always find oranges to make fruit juice. There’s not much else apart from maybe milk, eggs and yoghurt, as I don’t cook – I’m not very good and don’t usually eat at my place.

My favourite websites and apps are Vogue.com for fashion shows, the Météo-France weather app, and Instagram, because it’s a brilliant way to connect and communicate; people can tag you in a photo and say they love your work. It’s a very modern way of doing things. I’ve met a lot of people through it that I really admire. I don’t use Twitter.

If I weren’t doing what I do, I would be a singer. I sing all the time – unfortunately for my friends. While the fashion process is very long, taking time to produce, to deliver and to see someone wearing my designs, with music it’s instant. Musicians wake up with a melody in their head and within hours it can be online and you can reach people directly. And performing on stage is very special.