Paul Smith

One of my all-time favorite designers who enjoys a balance between new and cool and classic styles.

Great interview from The Rake of Sir Paul Smith:

http://therake.com/ps-a-very-nice-knight/

I like PS too. Nice thread. Only 5 years too late on this forum.

“The secret of my success isn’t hard to fathom. I’m an OK designer and I’m an OK businessman. A lot of people in this profession forget the second half of the equation.” Illustrating this point, he tells me,“I see a lot of students here and a lot of young designers come for help. I am so shocked how naïve they often are about how it all works. I recently had a girl here. She had just finished fashion college—three years of fashion college—and she said she wanted to start her own label. And I said, ‘Well, what do you think you need to start with?’ She said, ‘I need to have a fashion show and get a PR.’ She hadn’t got any money or a manufacturer, had no clear view about the collection she was going to do, what price point it would be, she had no business skills, no business partner, but her first thing was PR and fashion show. Unfortunately, there is a lot of that around, not quite understanding the sort of ingredients needed for making it all work.”

-Paul Smith

I would like to like Paul Smith - in fact I do like some of his designs not to mention that his knits are often Made in Belgium which I highly approve of - but in general I wonder if his is the label you should turn to if you're a stickler for quality. I like some of his shoes design-wise for example but have been held back by a friend of mine who has a very low opinion of Paul Smith footwear quality.

Paul Smith is a favorite designer because he finds inspiration in such a broad range of things and reflects them in his products and stores - music, art, design, architecture, photography, etc.... I love how each store around the world has a unique blend of clothing, home decor, vintage, books, jewelry and surprises. No two stores are ever alike. They all have their own personality. I find that very refreshing compared to the majority of international fashion brands where each store is essentially the same in the style, merchandise and experience.

I do agree that in the last decade the quality varies from product to product. The UK and European made garments and accessories seem intuitively much better than those made in China. I noticed the quality of socks declined when they went from made in Italy to Thailand a few years ago. But they seem to have returned to all Italian and a few UK for socks with quality results. I wouldn't buy the Chinese or Indian made shoes I've seen (they look cool but the workmanship seems iffy) but I have liked his UK made shoes. The Italian made T shirts are very good and have excellent details such as embroidered applique patches and silk screening.

I really like Paul Smith runway, and his tailoring is absolutely incredible. Shame I don't have the opportunity to wear more suits haha.

I do find his use of bright colour (especially in SS) really refreshing, even if it's not something that I would necessarily wear myself.

GusW said:

Click to expand...

Can't miss the Melrose store.

I haven't tried the shoes so I can't comment on them, but the mainline shirting is very high quality. He plays around with little details that make them interesting, too.

yes,there is a lot of that around, not quite understanding the sort of ingredients needed for making it all work.”

One of the great UK collaborations of quality and style was Paul Smith X John Lobb shoes

This Paul Smith Land Rover is pretty cool too.

Paul Smith is a voracious photographer rarely going anywhere without a camera. He has been a long-time fan of smaller scale Leica cameras so it was no surprise that they would collaborate with him on this Leica X-2 project:

I live very near the original site of PS (Nottingham) and have seen his empire grow over the years. His Nottingham store(s) is a treat to visit, some great stuff some good and some more but always a great atmosphere. Most importantly his reputation locally is one of a really good man with no edges keen to support grass root local initiatives. Fair play

@Cleav - I met PS in the Covent Garden store in the early 00's. He would come by the store almost every Saturday morning because he felt it was important to be in touch with his customers. He was very approachable and happy to autograph a book or answer questions from fans. He seems genuinely down-to-earth but also has the quiet confidence of a very smart person who knows what's going on.

PS prides himself on establishing a positive corporate culture. He seems to be quite successful at it because after visiting his stores over 25+ years in the UK, Italy, France and the US the staff are all friendly and unpretentious. A rare experience in fashion/designer brand stores.




Here are pics of one other collaboration he did with Triumph motorcycles when they were launching models with a retro style.

Paul Smith x Triumph

Excellent @GusW, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the man yet pleased you confirm he is one of the good guys.

Great Triumph that too which put me in mind of the Mini he did which led me here - http://www.dezeen.com/2013/11/15/hello-my-name-is-paul-smith-design-museum-exhibition/

As you say, a quiet unassuming confidence