‘At the start of this year, I never thought I’d be cleaning Lindsey Lohan’s desk out…’

After attending a seminar at Whitechapel Gallery last week, I cannot help but speak about Giles Deacon on first name terms. Growing up in Yorkshire, like myself I felt comforted by his Northern accent and down-to-earth demeanour. The illustrations accompanying this article capture his playful personality and ability to have fun in an industry sometimes shrouded with superficiality. Like a breath of fresh air, he declares his love for ‘great women’ and goes on to tell us, ‘I do not like acres of faceless girls’. His catwalk models and illustrated figures define the Giles brand, almost caricature like in subversive outfits that celebrate the female body – the clothes enhancing personality rather than overshadowing it. He states that ‘character, experience and opinion’ are all important in his model castings for the shows. Unlike other designers, whose collections are named after their formal surname (for example: Chanel, Valentino, Givenchy, Dolce and Gabbanna) Giles’s own label is just Giles. See the way he signs the annotation sketch dotted with a kiss? Like the brand, a tad flirty but full of genuine affection all the same – Giles down to a tea.