The Savile Row tailor leading an all-women powerhouse
Daisy Knatchbull is the woman behind Savile Row’s first shopfront designed exclusively for women. The Deck London’s silhouettes are both beautiful and strong, sexy yet always elegant. Here, the designer talks us through her journey to leading an all-female team and being at the heart of women-centric tailoring.
EH: Tell us about your background and how life has changed for you since founding The Deck London.
DK: I have always had an interest in fashion and from a young age I worked within different roles in the industry: fashion journalism, styling and PR. I worked for the fashion director of the Sunday Times Style before moving to Huntsman for just over three years and becoming their communications director.
In 2016, I became the first woman to wear a top hat and tails at the Royal Ascot. The reaction of women and the press further cemented for me that the beauty and elegance of all things sartorial was woefully unavailable to women. So I decided that I would take the risk and try to make a difference. It has never been a better time to be a woman so opening a tailoring house exclusively for women on Savile Row amongst the macro trend of female suiting and rise of fe-male empowerment couldn’t have been more perfect.
Founding this business has changed my life. The experience has been my greatest teacher and learning curve and is incredibly rewarding. But starting your own businesses also has its down-sides – most notably not always being able to give as much time to other things as you would like.
Pictured: Black Tux and White Tux
EH: Did you have someone in mind when you first dreamt up the brand?
DK: Always Lauren Hutton! That dream came true when she became a client last year – a mas-sive and very humbling moment for me. She is a huge pioneer of the trouser suit and a real idol of mine.
EH: What’s been the most challenging thing to happen in your career so far and how have you overcome it?
DK: Being a small start-up business and facing both the pandemic and Brexit has definitely pro-vided its challenges. As much as the last year has been difficult, it has also provided opportuni-ty. As a founder, you rarely get a chance to stop and take an oblique view of your business and do some blue sky thinking. I have finally had the time to review, consolidate and reform our business, as well as map out our plan to grow and scale in light of the last year or so. It is only thanks to our loyal clients, followers and the press that we have been able to survive the three periods of lockdown.
EH: What piece of advice has had the biggest impact on your career?
DK: The advice that’s really stuck with me is: ‘Hiring your team is one of the most important decisions you will ever make, so do it right and always delegate where you are weak.’ Also, I think ‘You can’t please everyone’ is such an important thing to realise, not just for friends and family but for suppliers, colleagues and clients.
EH: Share a career highlight of yours.
DK: I think for me, it’s the moment a client tries on their finished suit, particularly a woman who has struggled her whole life to find trousers or a jacket to fit them because of their size, height or shape. I’ve had many women burst into tears and women who cannot stop staring at themselves. It’s the most rewarding feeling.
Another career highlight would have to be the moment we became the first shopfront exclu-sively for women in Savile Row’s history!
EH: What keeps you motivated?
DK: The freedom and excitement of being so passionate about something and being able to ac-tualise it. Being able to help women who’ve been unable to find what they’ve been looking for. Nothing quite beats the moment a client sees themselves in a suit that’s made to their unique measurements for the first time. You can quite literally see her stand taller and more confi-dently. It’s the best feeling I could ask for. Making women feel more confident, strong and em-powered gets me out of bed each day.
“I’ve had many women burst into tears and women who cannot stop staring at themselves. It’s the most rewarding feeling”
EH: How is your work-life balance?
DK: Since reopening after the third lockdown, we’ve been booked out back-to-back for which I am so grateful. I am so lucky to have a fantastic team that supports me on the journey and en-sures we reach as many amazing women as possible, so currently I’ve not had many days off this year. However, I think it’s very important that your business doesn’t completely control your life and that you make time for friends and family. I try to always end my day with a moment of mindfulness where possible; I find it essential for being able to run the business in the way I do.
EH: Your designs have a serious, strong and empowering look to them while being wholly feminine at the same time. How do you strike this balance?
DK: The Deck encompasses modern femininity, highlighting the beautiful soft shape of a wom-an’s body through the curvature at the waist. But it also projects strength and power in the beautiful strong shoulders and sharp silhouette. A suit oozes sexiness but also elegance at the same time – who could ask for anything more?
The suits we offer today’s women don’t rely on trends or seasons, but instead are tailored to the personal styles, tastes and needs of each of our clients. Most importantly, a suit is no longer something that is bound to an office environment; it’s for every occasion. That’s whether you want to look chic when picking your kids up from school, or when going to a lunch, business meeting or a black tie event.
EH: Why suits?
DK: They are timeless, beautiful and elegant and an essential wardrobe staple for every woman. A good suit only needs a few basics alongside it to take you from day to night and work for eve-ry occasion. It’s not just how it feels physically, but the way it affects one’s mental being that I love the most, and it’s why I set out to provide this to as many women as I could. The unapolo-getic confidence it gives you, the projection of power and strength and independence, the way you stand taller, act bolder – that feeling is pretty addictive.
EH: Who’s your signature customer?
DK: There isn’t one type of woman necessarily and that is what has been so fantastic. We have had clients from 18 to 80, including all backgrounds and professions. Predominantly, it has been women between 35 and 55, but again a wide selection: stay-at-home mothers, working women, those who are looking for a special occasion, those who want to wear something that will take them through all occasions, those who have saved up, those who can buy three or four at once.
“The unapologetic confidence [a suit] gives you, the projection of power and strength and independence, the way you stand taller, act bolder – that feeling is pretty addictive”
EH: How have you managed to maintain your clientele and loyal following?
DK: I think continually delivering exceptional quality and service is key in ensuring any business builds loyal clients. Sadly, today that isn’t always so easy to find.
At The Deck we have the joy of building intimate relationships with our clients. The process takes 12 weeks over three fittings, which allows us to really understand and spend quality time with each client. It’s wonderful to really earn the trust of our clients, who might confide in us for a whole host of things, the good and the bad. Often in retail, you aren’t provided with that level of service and a personalised touch. At The Deck we really pride ourselves on knowing our client better than they might know themselves – what they like, dislike, how they like their tea, how many children they have, where they like to go on holiday. These are all important details that help us cater an ultra-personalised service for each client.
Pictured: The Spade in red wool
EH: What’s the most empowering piece that you have ever worn?
DK: A bespoke morning suit that I wore to the Royal Ascot. I was incredibly nervous about how it would be received – certain people, particularly those that attend Ascot, can be very ada-mant about how things should be done so it was definitely a risk. But the risk paid off and it was an amazing feeling to be clapped into the Royal Enclosure and have such a positive response from so many women, and men. I think traditions are important and can serve us well but sometimes they should also be challenged and tested, and great things can come out of that. That suit was the catalyst for building this business.
EH: What’s your go-to work outfit?
DK: A structured jacket with a tailored cigarette trouser or elegant flares paired with a combi-nation of silk shirts or t-shirts and trainers or stilettos. I love nothing more than a beautifully tailored three-piece suit.
Pictured: Daisy at Royal Ascot in Huntsman
EH: What’s your style rules when it comes to tailoring and how would you describe your per-sonal dress sense?
DK: The rules when it comes to suiting are simple. Buy less and gain more; invest in good quali-ty, ethically sourced slow fashion and you’ll gain a lifetime piece. Try and always ensure button-holes are ‘working’ and can be undone; never too skinny a lapel or too short a jacket if possible. A nipped in waist and strong shoulder gives the illusion of being taller and slimmer. If your con-scious of your chest area, opt for a single-breasted jacket. If you are a larger lady, I’d suggest staying away from bigger checks. Side adjusters are a great way of helping with that post-meal bloat without changing the shape of your trousers (or suffering in silence).
Don’t be afraid to try different things – we’ve had so many women convinced they couldn’t wear a flare or a double-breasted jacket who have totally converted. Pair your suits with well-made staples such as a good silk shirt, nude or black stilettos, statement earrings, a well-cut white T-shirt, a polo neck, a pair of trainers. Always remember, beautifully tailored suits will never merely be a trend – it will last you for a lifetime.
From a young age I always felt more comfortable in trousers rather than a dress, and that de-veloped over the years into quite an androgynous style, but with a feminine twist. I love simple but elevated basics, usually in nude, black or navy that accompany the array of suits I live in.
EH: What’s next?
DK: Lots of exciting things coming up in store and online starting from September! Watch this space…