BLAKE WOMAN - DAISY KNATCHBULL

We are so thrilled to introduce you to this Blake Woman. Entrepreneur and Founder of new women’s tailoring brand The Deck - Daisy Knatchbull.

If you are like our Founder Alice, you know that you can’t go wrong with a good suit. But where do you go for a one of kind, made to measure. Well, new label The Deck. Sitting between the contemporary and the classic, The Deck provides today’s women with an unparalleled experience of craftsmanship, quality and fit, whilst embracing modern femininity.

Launched in 2018 after working at tailoring royalty Huntsman Daisy saw there was a gap in the market for tailor made women suits.

We met her at her Atelier on the Kings Road to talk about her background, launching the Deck and the ups and downs she has faced as a woman Founder.

Tell us about your background and how you came to work in fashion?

I have always had an interest in fashion, and from a young age interning for a long time within many different roles in the industry, whether that was fashion journalism, styling or PR. I then landed a role assisting the Fashion Director of the Sunday Times Style before moving to Huntsman for just over 3 years and becoming their Communications Director, eventually leading me to see a huge gap in the market for a women only tailor.

You became Comunications Director at Huntsman. A pretty amazing job - can you tell us a little more, your typical day etc?

It was a great job and a brilliant way for me to understand the tailoring industry right from the very heart of it. I originally moved to Huntsman, wanting to understand more about menswear and it was through that I realised the opportunity there was for women. Savile Row is a place teeming with talent, quality and craftsmanship. My role was to communicate that to the press and public and help them understand the enormous value in buying a well tailored suit, made to last, an investment piece.

When did you get the idea for The Deck? And did anyone in particular help you in the decision to go for it?

I was the first women to wear top hat and tails at Royal Ascot in 2016 and it was the reaction of the women and the press that really made me realise there was a serious demand for women that wasn’t necessarily being met in the same way it was for men. From that moment I really got thinking and began talking to many amazing women within the fashion industry about my ideas, who all told me to go for it! It has never been a better time to be a women so opening a tailors exclusively for women amidst the macro trend of female suiting and on going rise of female empowerment couldn’t have been more perfect. However, I believe this time round suiting is more than just a trend, it's here to stay. Beautifully cuts suits will always be the perfect wardrobe investment as well as symbol of so many things - each so personal to each woman.

Why The Deck?

It's called The Deck as we offer four styles of suits in the same way there are 4 suits in a deck of cards. It is also representative of ‘reshuffling’ the way we think about tailoring and prioritising women for the first time. Every suit comes with a little Ace of Spades stitched into the inner cuff of the right sleeve reminding our women we all have an ace up our sleeve!

What are the biggest challenges you have faced as a young business?

Starting your own business will always come with its challenges. The highs are really high and the lows, very low. But it's all apart of the process and thats what makes it so exciting. Starting a business, particularly without a co-founder, can often be an incredibly lonely experience and a side that isn’t talked about enough. Also, our start up cashflow doesn’t allow us to play the same games the bigger brands can like gifting, advertising etc - everything is on a budget. That can be tough as there are so many exciting things you want to do but it's about staying relatively restrained in the beginning and not getting carried away with all the exciting opportunities that present themselves. Patience is key!

Sustainability in fashion is a very important topic at the moment. Can you tell us more about the cloth and factories you work with.

Sustainability and mindful purchasing is an intrinsic part of The Deck philosophy, valuing the considered, not the impulse purchase. We are very lucky as our brand is very organically ‘sustainable’ and that speaks for itself. We make only on a made-to-order basis leaving us with no inventory or bulk orders of cloths leaving us able to eliminate waste from our business and counteracting the devastating scale of overproduction that is currently going on in the fashion industry, the majority of which (as we know) often ends up in landfill.

We are lucky to work with highly skilled artisans and craftsmen, helping to keep long traditions, techniques and cultures alive. Alongside this, we are committed to using responsible materials and natural fibres - we have just started using buttons made from milk fibres!

You are very much a pioneer of slow fashion and investing in classic timeless pieces that will last a lifetime. Do you have anything in particular in your wardrobe which you will pass down?

That was also a big reason for me starting this business. I own so many things from my wonderful grandmothers, clothes they treasured forever and eventually passed down to me. It got me thinking as there was little I felt I would pass down to my children. Of course one of the issues for me, and for many, was price. The Deck suits are multi-seasonal, durable and versatile, that stand the test of time in our clients wardrobe, and will be passed down for generations to come. I certainly will with mine! We are really pushing the idea of a small, versatile and considered wardrobe with our clients and certainly that is a viewpoint I hold in my own shopping habits now.

I love the idea of building my wardrobe and handing down my suit (s!) to my girls.. do you think people are ready for a change from fast fashion? What else needs to be done?

I think people are really starting to see the value in mindful purchasing and it's amazing to see how many brands are responding to this demand. There is so much more on offer now, allowing every woman the option to shop sustainably. But of course, asking people to be 100% sustainable in their purchasing is impossible. But if you are buying from the high street, keep it, repair it, wear it as much you can and then pass it on!

What suit is on your dream list?

My list is far too long! We can offer our clients close to 7,000 cloths (working with all of the Savile Row cloth merchants) so each day in our fittings I come across another cloth I adore and add it to my ongoing list of dream suits! Tweed, velvet, corduroy, flannel - they are all divine. For me - nothing beats a white tuxedo or a velvet smoking jacket.

Who influences your personal style

Lots of amazing people from Phoebe Philo, Ralph Lauren, my grandmothers, Lauren Hutton, Jane Birkin and many more!

Over the past year since starting The Deck, what are you most proud of? Has there been a pinch me moment?

I feel so honoured that already there have been so many. I think for me its the moment a client tries on their finished suit, particularly a woman who has struggled their whole life to find trousers or a jacket that has ever fitted them because of their size, height or shape. I’ve had many women burst into tears, and women who cannot stop staring at themselves. Its the most rewarding feeling. So I guess proud of making women feel more confident, strong and empowered in themselves. Thats what gets me out of bed each day!

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The Process of a Tailor made suit

Our Founder, Alice is lucky enough to be having her first suit made - here are some snaps of the behind the scenes into the making of her black watch tartan suit.

Can you tell us the 4 stage process of choosing a suit.

It begins with us learning everything we can about the client. What she does, where she goes. We then try on the different styles and work out which jacket and trouser she prefers.

From there our tailor takes measurements against our blocks to create their clients own unique garment based on their choice of styling details, cloth, lining, button, even thread colour and monogramming and of course all of their styling adjustments. This is then sent to our seamstresses in Portugal - (one of the best European ateliers used by many of the Savile Row houses for their made to measure) and the garment will then come back for what we call a ‘baste fitting’ where we check that everything is as it should and the client ask happy, it then goes away again and comes back for a final fitting where tweaks and adjustments can be made before their finished suit is then complete (and they become the envy of all!)

If people want to get in touch - what is the best way?

Email us (contact@thedecklondon.com)

DM us on instagram (@decklondon),

Website (www.thedecklondon.com) or

Come and see us at our Chelsea atelier (336 King’s Road, below Baar & Bass, London, SW3 5UR).

We shot Daisy at her Atelier on the Kings Road wearing the new collection. In order, Redfern sweater in grey, Philippa Sweater in navy fleck and the Domino in cedar green. All available from our online store exclusively.

Photos by Ollie Ali