My mother was a housewife. My father worked in the agriculture business, but they were very encouraging about everything. When I said I wanted to do art, they were very supportive.
Giles Deacon
The effort you put into anything when you're a designer is 100% because it's all about what you get back out from it.
If you've invested money in buying a piece, you don't want it to just disintegrate. We all have that first wash anxiety, when that great t-shirt you've just bought shrinks away to nothing.
Anyone looking for a black cashmere sweater isn't going to come to me.
There's one thing I would like to do on the high street, and that's something different to what's been done before. So, who knows what that could be.
Just because something is less expensive shouldn't mean it is less well designed.
Due to the hectic, non-stop nature of my work, I'm always using my BlackBerry to stay in touch with my studio, wherever I am.
I go to L.A. three or four times a year. It's great for research.
I've always drawn a lot. I like the idea of turning a 2-D sketch into a 3-D thing very quickly. And clothing is really good for that.
People are always saying, 'You use irony,' and it's like, actually, we don't use irony: we use wit and playfulness and irreverence.
With couture, the great thing is that each piece has its own character, and you have space to explore and continue themes season after season.
The natural world is a source of inspiration.
Animals. They're nice, aren't they? They're good things, animals.
Single-sex private schools, especially in the middle of nowhere on a bleak hill in County Durham - I don't think they make sense.
Why shouldn't we want everybody to have a piece of Giles in their wardrobe?
I always find the idea of Britishness a bit of a boring old concept, to be honest. That world of Britishness always comes off a bit twee and only about cream teas and that sort of things.
I've always liked historic jewellery that's got a kind of quirkiness or playfulness to it; I like that it's not too serious.
People are often a bit more adventurous with swimming costume prints; they like the idea of something a bit more jolly.
My longest collaborative working relationship is with Katie Grand, the editor-in-chief of 'Love' magazine. Katie's an inspiration and a sounding block. She's got such great taste.
Let's be honest: not everybody can afford to buy £5,000 dresses, so the jewellery is a nice of way of getting the Giles product out into the world and introduce it to people not familiar with the label. QVC is a really good partner to help us do that.
I liked natural history. I liked the outdoors. And I found the sea quite interesting.
We design for a whole range of ages and body types, and we always have done. What's great about us is that the common thing that they all like is an accessible eccentricity of an accessible flamboyance, and I think the super thing about that, it isn't age-specific: you're not only dressing 25-year-olds; we're dressing women from 25 to 65+.
That era of designers being away with the fairies is gone... You've got to live in the real world.
I liked the fact DAKS was an unknown quantity. It's more like Gucci before Tom Ford got there. There's a lot you can do.
With couture, it means I get to show fall in July with delivery in September. My clients will be getting their pieces in season.
My parents weren't into fashion. I didn't have an eccentric granny who mixed lace mantillas with tweed.
I like characters in life, generally; I don't like to see a collection modelled on a homogeneous look. That terrifies me.
I don't believe in a recipe for success. You have to work hard; you may not always get it right - you have to bounce back from situations, and you have to be really focused and determined. It's important to have fun as well. Work shouldn't be a torture.
I have an art-school background, not a fashion background where it's like, 'Oh, we're going on holiday to Miami.'
There are some great skinny girls, but it's about characters, isn't it? That's what I find attractive. People who've had interesting lives and tell you something that you don't know or are really good fun.
We want to be the go-to business for super-special daywear and eveningwear, to focus on what we are known for and what our customers want from us.
Pretty much hated school. I never really found my footing. I just didn't like lessons.
I'd really love to dress Lauren Bacall. She's incredibly interesting - a gorgeous, stylish woman with a strong personality.
I am more interested in people's attitude than someone who is a perfect face. Every time I walk the streets of London, I see someone who interests me. It doesn't matter how old they are.
I love historical references.
People don't necessarily realise that there can be just as much work on a quiet jacket as an overblown gown.
It's important to offer well-thought-out pieces at lower prices.
I love London. Wherever I've lived, I've always had my flat here.
You take it very seriously when you start any project, but not everything in life ends up where you think it's going to be.
I had a great teacher who was really encouraging and said I should go to Central Saint Martins. So I worked my socks off, and I managed to get a place there. It was there that I developed a real love for design.
I'm lucky that I've worked with the biggest divas in the world. We've had Miss Piggy and Minnie Mouse, so I've got to be careful who I say now, but obviously, I'd love to dress them again.
I believe in the democracy of design.
I don't like acres of faceless girls walking.
I like women to have life, personalities. Women who would perhaps cause some trouble on a night out and have a lot to say for themselves.
Rooney Mara is someone I'd like to dress; we've not worked with her before and she certainly has very interesting personal style.
The name Holly Fulton has become synonymous with daring, bold graphic prints which you just know if you wear you'll have a brilliant time in.
I went to public and state schools - not at the same time. I did my art foundation course at Harrogate College of Arts. This brilliant tutor suggested I apply to Central Saint Martins. I adored it.
I don't really have a mentor.
People often think that the world fashion is so full of a certain pretense that it can't just be about going for something because it suits you and looks great, and it's nicely cut and is made of beautiful fabric. You know, if it has a bit of lightness and playfulness to it, then I think people just respond to that really well.
Everybody's got a lot to their personalities. You're not just one element. There are some days you want something that can be a bit stricter or a bit more disciplined or something a bit more floaty and a bit freer.
