Such is the persuasive charm of designer Daisy Knatchbull that within five minutes of talking to her, the temptation to buy one of her made-to-measure suits is almost overwhelming. With model good looks and buckets of enthusiasm, Daisy, 31, is the perfect poster girl for her business The Deck, the first women-only tailor to have a shopfront in Savile Row – the home of bespoke tailoring – in its 200-year history.
"I’ve always had a feeling of being a disrupter," she tells HELLO! in this exclusive interview and photoshoot at her elegant home in London. The entrepreneur, whose stylish outfits have been worn by her cousin India Hicks, Kate Moss, Elizabeth Hurley, Maya Jama, Gillian Anderson, Sarah, Duchess of York and Bridgerton actress Adjoa Andoh, also broke the rules in 2016 when she rocked up at Royal Ascot wearing top hat and tails – the first woman to do so in the history of the Royal Enclosure.
POWER SUIT
Her typical customers – she has 2,500 on her books – are aged around 45 to 65, but, she says: "They’re not just a load of rich women. I’ve got women who can walk in and buy 20 [suits] and the woman who saves for one waistcoat.
"They could be someone who thinks: 'I’ve just turned 60, I’ve lost my waist in the menopause, I want to redefine my style and be seen.'"
It was after she’d had her first suit made that her love affair with tailoring began. "It was like wearing a second skin, or modern armour. It felt like you could put your feet up on the big boys’ table, stand taller, and command the room."
COMFY AND CHIC
Daisy is currently in tracksuit bottoms stretched out on a green velvet sofa, her French bulldog Juno on her lap, taking a break from the shoot at the home she shares with her Italian boyfriend Giovanni.
"I was first attracted to this house because of its quirky and eclectic style," she says. "I felt as if I was taken out of London and transported somewhere else."
She describes the aesthetic as "country farmhouse meets Ibiza masseria meets a Moroccan riad", mixing flea-market finds with contemporary objets d’art. The large pasta drainers and bowls in the kitchen belong to Giovanni, who works in music but is a keen cook. "We eat a lot of Italian food," Daisy says. "I love the fact that the kitchen, my favourite room in the house, is flooded with light from outside and above. The colour scheme is fresh and bright.
"I was first attracted to this house because and there is a continuation of the green in the accents on the wood to the chairs to the lampshades. I love that the limewashing in the kitchen really adds texture to the walls."
An array of pictures on the wall behind along wooden console include two works by Daisy’s artist mother Atalanta, while the black-and-white photos behind the DJ decks were taken by her grandfather John Cowan, a famous fashion photographer.
DESIGNS FOR LIFE
As entrepreneurial as she is creative, Daisy launched The Deck in 2019, having worked as communication director for Savile Row tailor Huntsman for almost six years. She’s keen to stress she’s not a tailor - she employs five "amazingly talented" female tailors as well as pattern cutters to create the “timeless and elegant” suits, which are based on four master patterns.
Jackets can be single – or double-breasted, with boyfriend or safari silhouettes, while trousers can be straight-leg, cigarette, wide-leg or flared. They have also added shirts, dresses and a ready-to-wear collection.
"People always say the suit is a power look, but I think it goes beyond that. It’s super sexy as well." The great thing about The Deck is that we highlight the things that women love about their body, and disguise the things that they don’t."
MAKING WOMEN FEEL GOOD
Even with her tall stature, Daisy believes there are "various things" with her body that throw her out of proportion. "I have scoliosis so my back is curved, my knees turn in so trousers don’t sit right, my thighs are wider than they should be for my waist. I’m uncomfortable being photographed," she adds, "and get self-critical because the camera picks up everything."
But every woman has their stuff. We have a complicated relationship, emotionally, with our bodies. It’s sad, but that’s why it’s so important to come to a female-only space." Each item is made to the customer’s measurements and as it’s investment clothing – a two-piece starts at £3,300 – all suits come with generous inlays to accommodate a changing shape."
IVF, mastectomies, periods, menopause, cancer treatment – they all change our body and it’s important our clothes change with us."
"They have one client who is a size 36 and came to them after she couldn’t find any clothes to fit her." But we were able to, which was a huge honour and privilege. It creates a lot of emotion."
The fitting process – clients have three – is an intimate experience when women can feel at their most vulnerable. Much of Daisy’s role involves tapping into the psychology of her customers. "There are people who never see their own beauty and won’t say: 'I look good.' For a lot of women, self-praise is uncomfortable.
"Our greatest battle is that we can make a beautiful suit, but if there’s someone who thinks: 'I look old/grey/my thighs look fat/my boobs are too big,' that inner critic will come through. Our job is to try and help women see themselves."
SPECIAL MEANINGS
She takes pride in the fact that they can accommodate personal details, such as sewing in secret messages or treasured trinkets. One woman had "F**k cancer" embroidered under her collar after she’d recovered from treatment; another had "Make mine a double".
"But the most emotional moments are when a client has lost someone," Daisy says. "We had a girl who’d lost her father and we sewed in one of his ties under the collar. Another client’s mother had passed away and had given her money to have something made."
These are her favourite moments. "I love working with clients – especially when you see the finished product and they look in the mirror and smile." Not many women her age would have the chutzpah to conquer Savile Row and generate sales that have doubled, year on year, since 2019. Where does that confidence come from?
"I always live by the expression: 'Ask for forgiveness, not permission.' That’s been my nature– pushing the boundaries, but in a positive way."
She also comes from a distinguished background – her great-grandfather was the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma – uncle to Prince Philip – and her father is Philip Knatchbull, chief executive of film distributor and cinema operator Curzon.
GOOD FOUNDATIONS
"I didn’t grow up in a very strict household; it was liberal to a degree," she says. "There was respect and love and it allowed me to figure out who I was and believe I could push the envelope and try – and if I failed, I’d try again. But that doesn’t mean I’m bulletproof to fear of failure."
There have been very strong women in my family and I’ve been raised by men who are okay with strong women. I have a father who has always lifted me up, as well as brothers and my boyfriend."
Obsessed with fashion from an early age – "I was always dressing up and putting on my mum’s heels" – Daisy drew inspiration from Lauren Hutton and Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Lauren and Diane Von Furstenberg.
Closer to home she was encouraged by her maternal grandmother, who taught her how to dressmake. "She made me some beautiful things, showed me how to cut patterns and taught me about draping and the price of cloth, as well as the history of fashion. Even now she’ll cut things out of magazines and papers for me."
A LIFE IN FASHION
Daisy went on to forge a career in fashion PR and journalism, working at the Sunday Times, where she assisted the fashion director on shoots. She then worked at Huntsman, where her association with Savile Row began. Free time is rare and when she does have it, she’ll spend it with Giovanni and friends entertaining at home – "We’re always having Sunday lunches, barbecues and dinner parties" – or trying out new restaurants in London.
She has a close group of "killer women" for friends, including lawyers, artists, teachers and fellow entrepreneurs, and describes them as "the best cheerleaders", joking that they’ll often raid her wardrobe for weddings. The idea of having children appeals – but not yet.
"I’m close to being 32 and in three years, I’m a geriatric mother, right?” she says, laughing. "It’s that age-old problem: I’m a woman and I want a career and kids. How do I balance that?
"I’d like to wait three years or so and focus solely on my career because I want to be a present mother. But am I pushing the envelope or am I leaving it too late? You never know."
"But my life is not conducive to having kids right now, in terms of needing to hop on a plane and disappear off to America for three weeks for a trunk show.
"And my boyfriend has his own endeavours so he’s always racing around the world." For now, Daisy is happy to be based in central London but can envisage one day opening another flagship store in the US, where she spends a lot of time seeing clients.
Next on the to-do list is "global domination", she jokes, along with "helping change women’s lives in a small way". She adds: "Making them feel confident and seeing their own true beauty."
INTERVIEW: ROSALIND POWELL
PHOTOS: KATE MARTIN
HAIR: SVEN BAYERBACH AT CAROL HAYES
MANAGEMENTMAKE-UP: SARAH REYGATE AT CAROL HAYES MANAGEMENT