Paul Smith
Paul Smith: Signature designs are known to be a mix of tradition and the unexpected.
Born in Nottingham in 1946.
At the age of 15, Paul Smith's career goal was to be a professional racing cyclist. However, after a cycling accident a few years later, Paul set his sites on fashion. He began taking tailoring classes and soon joined Lincroft Kilgour in Savile Row (a high-end shopping street in Mayfair, London.) He soon started selling his designs to celebrities and athletes.
(Savile Row)
(Nottingham)
In 1970, with the aid of his girlfriend, Pauline Denyer, Paul opened his first shop in Nottingham. By 1976, Paul was showing his first menswear collection in Paris. Three years later, Smith opened the first fashion brand on Floral Street in London's Covent Gardens.
(Photos of Paul in his first store, early 70s)
Paul Smith's designs are quite popular in Japan, and thus established his international appeal. In the 1980s, Paul put boxer shorts back on the map and opened stores in New York and Paris. He also now has 200 stores in Japan.
(Paul Smith boxer shorts) (Paul Smith store in Japan)
Paul Smith showed his first women's collection at London Fashion Week. Today, Paul Smith oversees 12 different collections, including a jeans line, a fragrance, and a shoe line.
(Paul Smith men's and women's line) (Paul Smith shoe collection)
Today, Paul Smith's name has become a lifestyle, capturing buyers with furniture lines, clothing, accessories, and fragrances. He adds "a twist of individuality" to everything he creates. Smith was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000. His pieces are easily recognizable with multi-stripe somewhere on the piece.
(Paul Smith menswear) (Paul Smith fragrance)
Paul Smith is still going strong today, continually having a hand in everything he designs and sells. "The thing I'm most interested in is continuity. I've always worked hard at not being today's flavor." -Paul Smith
