A conversation with Giles Deacon might start with his upbringing in the countryside riding horses, but before you know it you’ll be taken down a path far from there, through 1980s Soho to the early 1990s Parisian fashion scene and beyond. The names he’s both worked with and become friends with over the decades have all shaped the arts and creative worlds as we know them today. And though Deacon himself has collected many stories along the way, giving depth and perspective to his cultural outlook, he remains very down to earth, perhaps thanks to those countryside roots.
The culture of the countryside, brought to life by Purdey is the ethos that underpins Spring Summer 2025, the first collection Deacon has worked on with the team. His partnership with Purdey (which began in 2024) represents, as CEO Dan Jago puts it: “A meeting of two creative forces in British craftsmanship. Giles shares an intuitive understanding of the Purdey heritage, so together we’re building on what Purdey does best.”
In fact, Purdey has been on Deacon’s radar since his early days as an art student at the world-renowned Central Saint Martins. “I knew of the brand through various friends of my father,” he shares, “and around 1988 when I first started at Saint Martins, I would go and have a look in the windows – though I never actually went into the store until a couple of years later in the mid-1990s. There were a few places like that in London, they felt like windows to another time to me, which was quite wondrous.”
Born in County Durham, Deacon moved to the Lake District in the early 1970s as a young boy. “My parents worked in agriculture and we lived in the middle of nowhere, in a very rural part near Ullswater, so I got acquainted with all facets of the countryside and country life from an early age. It was great; I very much got used to being out entertaining myself from early in the morning until late at night. I loved the seasonality of the Lake District, which is extreme in many ways; the dramatic landscapes, which are very beautiful; and the broad cross-section of worlds, built up of a lot of small communities. The people there are very observational, with an interesting overview of life.”
“The countryside has been instrumental,” he continues, reflecting on how these early influences subtly but surely steered his work. “From natural forms in a very simplistic way through to drawings and collecting things. I think that the subconscious impact of things like the weather there, of mosses and ferns, studying those forms as a kid without even realising. It’s all of those elements that help to form your aesthetic mind, as opposed to being brought up in a city, which will bring an equally valid but different set of references.”
Deacon’s personal set of references began to take shape alongside the now legendary course tutors and fellow students at Central Saint Martins. He shared desks with contemporaries including Lee Alexander McQueen, Katie Grand, Hussein Chalayan, to name just a few. “I felt very lucky to be there at that time and just really went for it,” he says. “Everyone was very motivational... It was a very good heady mix and a time when all backgrounds had the opportunity to attend. It was achievable for a large breadth of society, which is what made it unique. That collision of everybody.”
“It wasn’t wasted on me that I was in one of the best creative environments in the world. Each person brought specific and individual elements to the table, which meant that the bar became incredibly high. A healthy competitiveness was encouraged; they were not interested in any kind of homogenising of trends, instead it was all very personal. I drew on lots of things to do with leather work, like saddlery, and the countryside – in an artful way, tied to craftsmanship.”
From Central Saint Martins, Deacon went from strength to strength. He won Best New Designer at the British Fashion Awards in 2004, and since then his work has come to be defined by impeccable detail and an artisanal level of workmanship. His couture pieces are worn and collected the world over, with examples in the permanent collections of the V&A Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Now with 30+ years experience in the industry under his belt, Deacon could easily have written the Purdey playbook himself. Both share an appreciation for heritage and best quality craftsmanship, supporting and celebrating these skills, and honouring design that is able to evolve while staying true to its roots. “I’m very excited to combine my creative practice with my vision for the culture of the countryside at Purdey,” says Deacon. We couldn’t think of a better fit.
In The Countryside With Giles Deacon
Favourite countryside locations in the UK?
North Yorkshire Moors, the Scottish Highlands or the Lake District.
What to pack?
The best waterproofs you can possibly get and a great jumper that you can layer up, for the unpredictability of the British weather.
Personal countryside style?
I’ve dressed the same as I do now since I was about 18, within reason. I like very traditional practical aspects, with a pop of colour and something playful here and there. Practical, not too formal, looks great. Those are my go-tos.
Favourite British tradition?
Walking in the remote countryside – with or without a dog. Just getting out there does it for me, weather permitting I am partial to a bit of plein air.
Explore the new Spring Summer 2025 Purdey collection here.