“The Surprise of Collaboration…”

Not everyone thinks of fashion designers as business people, but fashion ultimately requires designers, especially independent designers like Giles Deacon, to stay in touch with the realities of managing a business every day.

In the third and final chapter of Giles’ story, we learn how collaborations with major partners like New Look, as well as creatives like LOVE Magazine’s Katie Grand and milliner Stephen Jones, have enabled Giles to bring his designs to a broader audience, elevate the sophistication of his product offering, and therefore have a creative and business impact far beyond what might be expected of an independent fashion label in London.

RSS and email subscribers, click here to watch the video.

Previous chapters:
Chapter I | “Unstructured Exploration…”
Chapter II | “A Designer Who Has Always Drawn…”

Inside the Studio | Giles Deacon was generously supported by Swarovski

“A Designer Who Has Always Drawn…”

Giles Deacon began drawing at the age of three, so it’s not surprising that illustration forms a fundamental part of his creative process.

The second chapter of Giles’ story uncovers the organised randomness behind Giles’ arresting design concoctions, often starting with a sketch. He explains how designs like the now iconic Pacman dress from Spring/Summer 2009 and the much talked-about Bambi dress from Spring/Summer 2008, which landed on the front cover of the New York Times, were conceived and developed.

RSS and email subscribers, click here to watch the video.

Inside the Studio | Giles Deacon was generously supported by Swarovski

Giles Deacon for Smythson

LONDON, United Kingdom — When Giles Deacon developed a set of chic correspondence cards, each with a signature Giles sketch, in collaboration with Smythson earlier this year, the first batch sold out in just one day — on both sides of the Atlantic. For all you hard core Giles fans, the cards appear to have been re-ordered and are now available for sale again.

Even better, here at BoF we were lucky to have had a special sketch from Giles (you can see it below the jump), built around our new brand identity, in celebration of our exclusive Inside the Studio interview series with Giles which debuted earlier this week with Chapter 1, “Unstructured Exploration…”

On Monday, February 9, Chapter II will be released here on The Business of Fashion and on www.swarovskisparkles.tv. In the second installment, which focuses on Giles’ creative process, he tells us that he is “A Designer Who Has Always Drawn,” explaining how illustration forms a key part of his creative process by giving life and meaning to his ideas.

Stay tuned. … Continue Reading

“Unstructured exploration…”

In the years before he became an overnight household name in the United Kingdom, when Linda Evangelista walked down his runway for free, Giles Deacon spent more than 10 years exploring — not the world, but rather the people and environment in which he lived.

The first chapter of Giles’ story explains how he came to be a fashion designer and launch his own label, GILES. It reveals how the accidents of life can change the course of fashion history.

Inside the Studio | Giles Deacon was generously supported by Swarovski

LONDON, United Kingdom — The Business of Fashion is pleased to announce the launch of Inside the Studio, a series of in-depth interviews providing a 360 degree view of the world’s top fashion designers and their roles as both creative and business people.

Supported by Swarovski and produced by and developed in association with Make Believe, the first interview features renowned fashion designer Giles Deacon who celebrated his 10th season at London Fashion Week in September 2008. In a rare one-on-one conversation, Deacon speaks at length about his decision to become a fashion designer, the nature of his creative process, and his approach for managing an independent fashion business in these troubled economic times.

Inside the Studio moves beyond the ephemeral trend- and celebrity-watching common in the fashion media to reveal a fascinating side of the industry that is rarely seen.

Giles’ story will be revealed in three chapters on www.businessoffashion.net and www.swarovskisparkles.tv in the coming weeks:

Chapter I – Foundation
“Unstructured Exploration…” (3 February, 2009)

Chapter II – Creative Process
“A Designer Who Has Always Drawn…” (9 February, 2009)

Chapter III – Business
“The Surprise of Collaboration…” (16 February, 2009)

Stay tuned for the first video which debuts on Tuesday, 3 February at 12:00 noon, London time.