The 5-minute Interview: Giles Deacon, Fashion designer

'I'd have been a zookeeper, the natural world is an inspiration'

Now an industry veteran, Giles Deacon, 38, has worked at Bottega Veneta and Gucci, then under Tom Ford. He recently designed a limited edition quilted Blackberry case for The Carphone Warehouse

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd ...

Probably be working or swimming. I like to have a swim in the morning, a great way to start the day.

I wish people would take more notice of ...

Exercise. A healthy body really does make for a healthy mind. I try to exercise three to four times a week. I actually did a boxercise class this morning which was quite good fun.

The most surprising thing to happen to me was ...

Meeting Lauren Bacall in a Paris studio. She's just amazing, fantastic.

A common misconception of me is ...

That I'm a millionaire. That always makes me laugh when I read it in magazines. I don't know where they get it from because in fact I'm a billionaire.

I am not a politician but ...

If I were, I'd help the homeless. It's a crime beyond belief that there are so many homeless people around.

I'm good at ...

Listening. I make a real effort not to knock people back when they're confiding in me.

I'm very bad at...

Picking up phone messages. I leave them till my phone is full, then go through them all at once.

You know me as a fashion designer but in a truer life I'd have been ...

An illustrator or zookeeper. The natural world is a source of inspiration.

The best age to be is...

Being 26 was pretty good. There's a nice mix of becoming wiser with a certain amount of youthful foolishness involved.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is this:

The grass is always greener underneath you. I just made that up.