Courtesy of Chris Benz

Real men wear pink, and in Chris Benz’s case it’s suitable for everyday. The rosy-haired Seattle native moved to New York to attend Parsons and started his own label after stints at Marc Jacobs and J.Crew. The CFDA Emerging Designer Award winner has a rabid affinity for juice cleanses (they must come in handy this time of year) and is sentimental for sketchbooks. Here he breaks it down for ELLE, one question at a time.

ELLE: What is your favorite smell?

CB: New car smell.

ELLE: What do you consider the epitome of happiness?

CB: Time.

ELLE: How do you define luxury?

CB: Very carefully.

ELLE: What is the last dream you remember?

CB: Being president.

ELLE: What’s your favorite childhood memory?

CB: Digging for clams at my grandparent’s house.

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

CB: The Fountainhead.

ELLE: Describe your home’s aesthetic.

CB: WASP REALNESS.

ELLE: What are your vices?

CB: Juice cleanses.

ELLE: Describe yourself in 5 words or less.

CB: Precise, reckless, colorful, charming, unafraid.

ELLE: What possession will you never throw away?

CB: My fashion sketchbook from Parsons.