Who started it?
Giles Deacon grew up in England's Lake District and attended school in County Durham. After dreams of studying marine biology were crushed by poor A-level results, Deacon tried for an art foundation course at Harrogate College. His introduction to fashion there inspired him to apply to the Central St Martins College of Art and Design, where he realised that his calling was fashion.
On graduation in 1992, he moved to Paris where he worked for designer Jean Charles de Castelbajac for two years before returning to London. He found a job at British department store Debenhams, while also working as a freelance fashion consultant.
Two-and-a-half years later, Deacon's big break came through former girlfriend Katie Grand - now editor of Pop magazine - who was working for Bottega Veneta in New York. Grand got him an interview at the fashion house, and Deacon was hired as a designer. He worked at Bottega Veneta until 2001, and also designed briefly for Gucci (during Tom Ford's reign).
In 2003, Deacon came down with a serious illness that made him rethink his future. As a result, he set up his eponymous label with the help of Grand later that year.
He showed his first collection, Disco Jacobean Fairytale, in autumn 2004. That year, Deacon was voted best new designer at the British Fashion Awards.