With his decadent prints and dramatic proportions, boundary-defying flair and an eye for irreverence, Giles Deacon is known for following his own distinctive path. After stints at Bottega Veneta and Gucci, which bookended the millenium, the Durham-born designer and illustrator founded his eponymous label, Giles, where his quintessentially British ready-to-wear and couture pieces were famously steeped in joy and craftsmanship. In a piece for the Independent in 2010, AnOther’s editor-in-chief Susannah Frankel described his work as “a much-needed injection of grand-scale glamour” – a statement which remains as true for his work today as it was then.
More recently, Deacon has lent his material expertise to the world of home decor, working collaboratively with interior and homeware brands including Sanderson and Peter Reed. This Winter, he brings his innate sense of wit and charm to Soho House for a festive takeover that sees 40 Greek Street transformed into an immersive wonderland for the holiday season. “I wanted to create something that feels at once intimate and mischievous,” says Deacon. “A gilded world within Soho House that celebrates British making, artistry and a certain kind of elegant irreverence that runs through both my work and the house itself.”
Titled The Gilded Mischief, which, he tells us, “simply means Gold for ornament and Mischief for fun – something which December needs both of”, the exhibition weaves together art, fashion, interior design and food. Sumptuous fabrics and exuberant drapery made from Deacon’s Aperigon collection with Sanderson turn the house into an 18th-century salon; fragments of Deacon’s own illustrations – watercolour paintings, pencil sketch vignettes and ink drawings, created over the last decade, populate the house’s walls; bespoke uniform. And the menu, curated by Deacon in collaboration with Soho House executive chef Nathanial Tofan, is a nostalgic ode to a traditional Victorian Christmas feast, with caviar, broth, goose pie, and Christmas pudding. It’s a theatrical setting to celebrate the year’s end.
Here, we ask Giles Deacon 20 questions about how he approaches design, his favourite festive traditions and the curation of The Gilded Mischief.
1. Define ‘Fashion’ in three words?
Imagination, craftsmanship, wit.
2. What is your design or creative process like?
It tends to be obsessive drawing, joyful research and a balanced unpredictability.
3. How would you personally describe your design language? Did you bring this to the festive takeover at Soho House?
My design language is grand scale, always eccentric with an eye on beauty and at Soho House, yes, it can be seen all over.
4. And what’s on the menu you took part in curating?
It is festive, elegant and British.
5. What are your Christmas traditions?
Walks, biscuits, cake, TV. Repeat.
What are your Christmas traditions? “Walks, biscuits, cake, TV. Repeat” – Giles Deacon
6. What’s on your Christmas list?
Books, sketchbooks and some cashmere.
7. What’s your favourite Christmas song?
The music from The Muppet Christmas Carol.
8. And film?
Scrooged.
9. Why?
It’s festive yet unhinged because Christmas deserves a little irreverence and madness.
10. What is the most important thing to consider during the festive period?
Generosity of time, spirit and humour.
11. What is your earliest festive memory?
Watching the Wombles Christmas special.
12. What item of clothing can’t you live without?
A magnificent coat, always.
13. What are your hobbies?
Drawing, collecting oddities and wandering museums.
14. What is your best fashion moment or memory?
When a sketch becomes real. It never fails to surprise me.
15. Define eccentricity?
Following your imagination without editing it.
What is your best fashion moment or memory? “When a sketch becomes real. It never fails to surprise me” – Giles Deacon
16. What makes a conducive environment to create?
Good light, good paper and room for ideas to misbehave.
17. Who is your style icon?
Miss Piggy.
18. Do you have any style ‘icks’ or hard nos when it comes to fashion?
Timidity. Clothes should commit.
19. What is your most treasured possession?
Sketchbooks and drawings. They hold all the beginnings and near endings
20. What did you enjoy most about working on The Gilded Mischief at Soho House?
I’ve been a long-standing member of Soho House so the freedom to build a festive world of personality in a space that’s always felt like a home away from home, aided by some wonderful, skilled curators and helpers, has been a magnificent experience.
The Gilded Mischief will run throughout the festive season at Soho House in London from 26 November – 31 December 2025, inviting members and guests to explore the world of Giles Deacon through a constellation of art, objects and textiles.
