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Giles Deacon

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Giles Deacon
Deacon photographed by Gautier Deblonde
Born1969 (age 54–55)[1]
Darlington, County Durham, England
Labels
  • Giles Deacon Couture
  • GILES
PartnerGwendoline Christie (2013–present)
Awards
  • British Fashion Designer of the Year 2006
  • ANDAM Fashion Awards Grand Prix 2009

Giles David Deacon (born 14 December 1969) is a British fashion designer, creative director and founder of Giles Deacon group, a fashion enterprise. Deacon joined the Paris Fashion Week in 2016. Deacon has been known to challenge the traditional ideas of womenswear and often uses wild prints and pop culture references in his designs. Deacon was employed by the fashion houses Bottega Veneta and Gucci, before founding his own label, GILES, in 2003. He launched his first collection for GILES at the 2004 London Fashion Week and was named "Best New Designer" at the British Fashion Awards.

Deacon's designs have been met with critical acclaim and have sparked a renewed interest in London fashion. Having become one of the fashion industry's most fêted figures, Deacon was named British Fashion Designer of the Year in 2006 and was awarded the French ANDAM Fashion Award's Grand Prix in 2009. The designer was appointed creative director of French fashion house Ungaro in April 2010. Deacon retained the position until September 2011, when he and Ungaro mutually decided to end their collaboration. Deacon launched his first couture collection in 2016 at Paris.

Early life

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Deacon was born in Darlington, County Durham, but grew up near Ullswater in the Lake District.[2][3] Deacon is the youngest child of David, an agricultural salesman, and Judith, a housewife. He has one older sister.[3][4] He attended Barnard Castle School in County Durham which he credits with instilling in him "the mindset of aesthetics".[2] Alongside schoolmate and friend Glenn Hugill, now a major television executive, he pursued interests in music and film as "portal to other things that we didn't really know about"[5] Deacon initially wanted to become a marine biologist, but he failed his chemistry A-level.[3][6] He later joined Harrogate College of Arts, where he completed an art foundation course.[7] After completing his course he went on to study at Central St Martins and was in the same class as fashion designers Alexander McQueen and Luella Bartley.[8][9] He graduated in 1992 and began collaborating on the label 'Doran Deacon' with his friend, Fi Doran as well as contributing illustrations to Dazed & Confused.[2]

Career

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Deacon chose to travel and gain experiences at fashion houses, before starting his own label.[9] During his time in Paris, Deacon was hired to work with fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, where he learned how to use a brand name commercially.[9][10] During this time, Deacon met the owner of Italian luxury goods house, Bottega Veneta, and was hired to work for the company, becoming the head designer and debuting an acclaimed collection in 2001. Deacon was dismissed in 2001 when the Gucci group bought the company and terminated his contract, so they could hire German designer, Tomas Maier.[4][11] However, he was immediately hired by Tom Ford to assist with Gucci womenswear.[12][13] Deacon was forced to leave Gucci after one season when he became ill from an infected salivary gland.[7]

Once he had recovered, Deacon decided to take out a loan to start his own label and he launched GILES in 2003.[8][14] He launched his first collection at London Fashion Week in February 2004, styled by his friend Katie Grand, the show saw models Karen Elson, Lily Cole, Eva Herzigova and Linda Evangelista walking the catwalk.[12] The collection received international acclaim and began a renewed interest in London fashion.[15] Deacon regularly showed at London Fashion Week and the GILES collection is bought by over thirty retail stores including Barneys, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges.[3][10][12] Deacon counted Thandiwe Newton, Princess Beatrice and Scarlett Johansson among his clients.[16] Several actresses, including Cate Blanchett and Kerry Washington, have worn Deacon's dresses at red carpet events.[17] In 2009, Deacon stated that since he launched his label, he has seen the turnover double every year and sales increased during the 2008 recession.[4] His studio is at the Truman Brewery in East London.[18]

In April 2010, it was announced that Deacon had been appointed the creative director position with Ungaro, following the dismissal of Estrella Archs.[19][20] Deacon became the fifth designer to be hired by the house since it was sold to entrepreneur Asim Abdullah in 2005.[20] On 19 September 2010, Deacon made a return to London Fashion Week, after spending two years showing his collection in Paris.[21] Deacon showed his first collection for Ungaro in October 2010.[6] Vogue previewed the new collection, which was designed by Deacon, styled by Grand and accessorised by Katie Hillier and Stephen Jones, on their website.[22] Vogue reporter, Dolly Jones, described the collection as one of the "most hotly anticipated shows" of the week and she added "[Deacon] looks like he'll be credited with bringing the house of Ungaro back to life, at last."[23]

From June 2011, Deacon took part in the Channel 4 entertainment series, New Look Style the Nation.[24] The designer joined New Look's creative director Barbara Horspool on a panel tasked with finding an "exceptional new fashion stylist" from contestants, who demonstrate good creativity and style.[24][25] The winner was to be hired by New Look as a stylist.[24] Deacon previously appeared on Britain's Next Top Model as a judge.[26] On 15 September, it was announced Ungaro and Deacon had "mutually decided" to end their collaboration.[27]

In 2013, Deacon presented the first ever fashion exhibition at the William Morris Gallery in London.[28] After deciding to put his ready-to-wear line on hiatus, Deacon launched his first couture collection in 2016. He told Steff Yotka of Vogue that he had always wanted to create more couture pieces, and that he chose to concentrate on high end fashion after realising that the pieces he and his team had produced were selling well.[17]

He designed the wedding dress of Pippa Middleton, sister of Catherine, Princess of Wales, in May 2017.[29]

Style

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Hopefully, if you saw someone wearing one of our frocks you'd think she looks quite interesting to have a chat with and say hello to. They're a bit 'We're on, we're out, we mean business.[16]

— Deacon on his designs.

Deacon has been known to challenge the traditional ideas of womenswear and often uses wild prints and pop culture references in his designs.[16][30] He has described his designs for GILES as humorous, dark and sexy and has stated that he wants diversity in among them.[9] He said, "My dresses should be worn by young, cool girls just as much as by 55 to 60-year-old women".[9] Deacon often designs "structured big-entrance" dresses, which are aimed at women who want to be noticed.[21] At the 2008 London Fashion Week, Deacon presented a collection with a futuristic theme based on the 1980s arcade game Pac-Man. The character was embellished on many of the dresses and the models wore oversized helmets in the shape of Pac-Man.[30] The designer's New Look menswear collections have been described by GQ magazine as "straddling the line between quirky and wearable".[31]

Susannah Frankel of The Independent has said that Deacon's collections are "a much-needed injection of grand-scale glamour".[21] Frankel added that a playfulness and humour have also found their way into Deacon's collections.[21] In May 2011, Deacon said he does not design for wallflowers and that his collections would always be a "little bit sideways", "quirky" and "British in feel."[24] The Scotsman said Deacon's designs are not brash, but "they suit a woman who has the confidence to take centre-stage."[24]

Collaborations

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Deacon has worked on many collaborations with companies including Sky, Converse and Evoke, with whom he created his first jewellery collection.[12][32] In a two-season collaboration with British fashion company Mulberry, Deacon introduced a line of accessories called "Mulberry for Giles", which was both a commercial and critical success.[10] Deacon was then appointed to design for the classic British tailoring label, Daks.[2] He showed his first and second collections for the brand in 2007 and his third in 2008.[33][34][35]

Deacon's best known collaboration has been with the High Street fashion chain New Look. The collection called Gold by Giles began in March 2007.[36] On choosing to collaborate with the clothing retailer, Deacon said: "I chose New Look as the high street store to work with, as we both have a sense of fun and believe in fashion for everyone."[37][38] Actress Drew Barrymore starred in the first ad campaigns for the collection, following a chance meeting between her and the designer in a lift.[39][40] British model, Agyness Deyn took over and modelled the key pieces for Deacon's 4th collection.[41]

A lover of chocolate, in 2013 Deacon collaborated with Cadbury’s Caramel Nibbles, creating a couture strapless white tulip Nibbles dress in a chocolate polka-dot print for the Caramel Bunny, complete with ruffle details and a striking pussy-bow neck tie to match. In addition to this, he created a limited edition scarf combining the Cadbury Caramel Bunny’s eyes with coloured chains and pink bows.[42]

In late 2015, Deacon designed a womenswear collection for Debenhams. The collection titled Giles Deacon for Edition was modelled by Daisy Lowe and featured "beautiful dresses, bold prints and luxe outerwear".[43]

Recognition

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In 2004, Deacon was named Best New Designer at the British Fashion Awards and in the following year he was given the Young Designer Award at Elle magazine's Style Awards.[44][45] 2006 saw Deacon win the British Fashion Council's Fashion Forward Award, as well as being named British Fashion Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.[46][47] He was named Best British Designer at the 2007 Elle Style Awards.[45] Two years later, Deacon won the French ANDAM Fashion Award's Grand Prix, becoming the second consecutive British designer to win the award following Gareth Pugh's win in 2008.[8] In the same year, he was named GQ magazine's Designer of the Year.[31]

Personal life

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Deacon divides his time between his home in Islington, London, and his apartments in Paris and Italy.[1][48] He has been in a relationship with actress Gwendoline Christie since 2013.[49]

Deacon's hobbies include swimming, hiking, macramé, and gardening.[3] He counts Elsa Schiaparelli, Miuccia Prada, Coco Chanel, Mr J.M. Millet, and Yves Saint Laurent among his design and style inspirations.[50][18]

References

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  1. ^ a b "My Secret Life: Giles Deacon". The Independent. Independent News & Media. 24 October 2009. Archived from the original on 25 October 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d "Giles Deacon: King of London". The Independent. Independent News & Media. 10 February 2007. Archived from the original on 16 February 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e Barber, Lynn (7 September 2008). "Why the fashion editors love Giles". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
  4. ^ a b c Slater, Lydia (3 July 2009). "Giles Deacon: Cutting A Splash". London Evening Standard. Associated Newspapers. Archived from the original on 14 November 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  5. ^ "Transcript - Talking Fashion Giles - SHOWstudio - the Home of Fashion Film". Archived from the original on 23 March 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  6. ^ a b Day, Elizabeth (30 May 2010). "Giles Deacon: the down-to-earth northerner who has stormed the heights of Paris couture". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  7. ^ a b Cavendish, Lucy (1 December 2009). "Giles Deacon: The unlikely lad of fashion". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 December 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  8. ^ a b c Alexander, Hilary (30 September 2009). "British designer Giles Deacon wins French fashion's 2009 'grand prix'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  9. ^ a b c d e Rothe, Marcus (10 December 2008). "Giles Deacon Interview". Style Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  10. ^ a b c "Giles Biography" (Doc). London Fashion Week. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
  11. ^ "Britain's Deacon of light". The Times. Times Newspapers Ltd. 7 February 2007. Archived from the original on 10 February 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  12. ^ a b c d "Giles Deacon: An audience with the king of British fashion". The Independent. Independent News & Media. 6 March 2010. Archived from the original on 8 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  13. ^ Clydesdale, Lindsay (17 May 2008). "Designer Giles Deacon Tells How He Rose to the Top". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  14. ^ "Giles collection 'inspired by Pac-Man'". Metro. Associated Newspapers. 17 September 2008. Archived from the original on 18 September 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  15. ^ "Giles Deacon's Fashion in Motion". Fashion United. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  16. ^ a b c "Giles Deacon - Designer Fashion Label". New York. New York Media Holdings. Archived from the original on 11 March 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  17. ^ a b Yotka, Steff (25 January 2016). "Giles Deacon on Why Couture Still Matters and What We Can Expect From His Debut Show in Paris". Vogue. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  18. ^ a b Shollenbarger, Maria (17 September 2010). "Giles Deacon talks personal style: Part Two". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  19. ^ Alexander, Hilary (21 April 2010). "Giles Deacon for Emanuel Ungaro?". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 April 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  20. ^ a b "Giles at Ungaro – It's official!". Grazia. Arnoldo Mondadori Editore. 26 April 2010. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  21. ^ a b c d Frankel, Susannah (20 September 2010). "Giles Deacon: The boy is back in town". The Independent. Independent News & Media. Archived from the original on 21 September 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  22. ^ Giles Deacon, Katie Grand, Katie Hillier, Stephen Jones and Anna Della Russo. The Ungaro Preview. Vogue. Archived from the original (FLV) on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  23. ^ Jones, Dolly (4 October 2010). "Show Report". Vogue. Condé Nast Publications. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  24. ^ a b c d e Davidson, John (31 May 2011). "Interview: Giles Deacon, fashion designer". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  25. ^ "New Look Style the Nation". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  26. ^ Davies, Taryn (28 April 2013). "Cycling is in Fashion according to Giles Deacon". FemaleFirst. Archived from the original on 10 July 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  27. ^ Socha, Miles (15 September 2011). "Ungaro, Giles Deacon to Part Ways". Women's Wear Daily. Fairchild Fashion Group. Archived from the original on 26 December 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  28. ^ "Giles Deacon". William Morris Gallery. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  29. ^ Friedman, Vanessa (22 May 2017). "The Pippa Middleton Wedding Dress Effect". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  30. ^ a b Motevalli, Golnar (16 September 2008). "Pac-Man the muse for London designer Giles Deacon". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  31. ^ a b "Giles Deacon: GQ Designer of the Year". GQ. CondéNetUK Limited. Archived from the original on 27 March 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  32. ^ Obi, Michele (8 August 2008). "Giles for Evoke: Giles Deacon to Launch his First Ever Jewellery Collection". My Fashion Life. My Life Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  33. ^ Mower, Sarah (22 February 2007). "Daks by Giles Deacon". Style.com. Condé Nast Publications. Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  34. ^ Mower, Sarah (28 September 2007). "Daks by Giles Deacon". Style.com. Condé Nast Publications. Archived from the original on 14 January 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  35. ^ Phelps, Nicole (20 February 2008). "Daks by Giles Deacon". Style.com. Condé Nast Publications. Archived from the original on 23 January 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  36. ^ "Giles Deacon designs for New Look". Fashion United. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  37. ^ Bumpus, Jessica (9 March 2010). "Giles' Tenth Look". Vogue. Condé Nast Publications. Archived from the original on 11 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  38. ^ "Gold by Giles Deacon". Fashion United. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  39. ^ Craven, Jo (22 April 2008). "Giles Deacon Biography". Vogue. Condé Nast Publications. Archived from the original on 30 April 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  40. ^ Levine, Nick (13 March 2007). "Drew Barrymore to model for New Look". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi (UK) Ltd. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
  41. ^ "Giles Deacon new beach look". Fashion United. 16 June 2009. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  42. ^ "Giles Deacon designs for Cadbury's Caramel Nibbles". my fashion life. 21 October 2009. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  43. ^ De Klerk, Amy (1 September 2015). "Giles Deacon & Savannah Miller on Their New Designs". Look. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  44. ^ "British Fashion Awards 2004". British Fashion Awards. Archived from the original on 7 December 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  45. ^ a b Alexander, Hilary (13 February 2007). "Elle Style Awards". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
  46. ^ "Previous Fashion Forward Recipients". British Fashion Council. British Fashion Council. Archived from the original on 8 February 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
  47. ^ Jones, Dolly (3 November 2006). "The 2006 Winners". Vogue. Condé Nast Publications. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  48. ^ Jones, Dolly (25 May 2010). "Giles Arrives". Vogue. Condé Nast Publications. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  49. ^ Cronin, Emily (6 August 2016). "Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie talks working with partner Giles Deacon: 'I wear armour and I wear couture – both fascinate me'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 December 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  50. ^ Copping, Nicola (15 February 2008). "The Smashing Style of Giles Deacon". The Times. Times Newspapers Ltd. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
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