Giles Deacon is a British couture designer and illustrator whose theatrical designs combine a gothic sensibility with contemporary structures. For Summer 22, we worked with Giles to design a heraldic motif and series of illustrations that would respond to the season’s fragrance and its ingredients.
Giles’ fashion is featured in the permanent collections at the V&A, London, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; he has been awarded British Designer of the Year. As a costume designer he has worked with the New York City Ballet, Lionsgate and Marvel.
In responding to Summer 22, Giles Deacon took inspiration from the organic forms of the fragrance’s ingredients, particularly kumquat and geranium. He created a series of illustrations that reflect the wildness of the fragrance, using walnut ink to paint in organic, free-flowing shapes inspired by the form of rose geranium leaves.
Giles then began to think about the art of blazoning in heraldry - describing a whole through each of its parts - and how this relates to perfumery, which is a blend of distinct ingredients. He created a crest for Ffern, using the forms of the kumquat and the rose as inspiration. The result is a playful riff on the heraldic emblem, both delightful and mysterious.
This season, we have produced a very limited number of Giles Deacon giclée prints exclusively available to ledger members. There are four variations, each 6*8 inches. To learn more please send us a note to artists@ffern.co.
Giles is the eighth artist to work with us on the Ffern Artists series. You can read about the others here.