Sir Paul Brierley Smith[1] (born 5 July 1946) is an Englishfashion designer, best known for his eponymous luxury brand. Founded by Smith in 1970, it has since expanded to 130 stores in more than 60 countries.[2] The brand sells clothing and accessories through both physical shops andonline. Its fluorescent pink flagship store inLos Angeles has become a widely photographed landmark.[3]
Paul Smith shop on King Edward Street,Leeds2007 Paul Smith suit, merino wool with pink windowpane checkPaul Smith shirt showing the company's signature striped patternMini by Paul Smith, 1997Interview with Paul Smith about the exhibition 'Hello, My name is Paul Smith'Maggie's Centre Nottingham, designed byPiers Gough. Smith helped design the interior.Paul Smith Boutique, Las Vegas
Smith was born inBeeston, Nottinghamshire on 5 July 1946, the youngest of three children.[5] He left school at age 15 without qualifications and, his father being a textile and clothing retailer, began work in a Nottingham clothing warehouse.[4] One of his early ambitions was to become a professional cyclist, and cycling has been a lifelong influence in his work. But at the age of 17 he was involved in a serious accident that kept him in hospital for over three months.[6][4] During his recovery he found the opportunity to make new friends at a local Art School and was introduced to the world of graphic art and fashion design.[7] He left the warehouse and worked as store manager for a retail clothing and fashion start-up in Nottingham, owned by one of the new friends he had made. At the age of 21 he married Pauline, who had two young children from a previous marriage and was working as a teacher at the Art School.[4] She had been trained as a fashion designer at theRoyal College of Art in London and contributed to the creation of many of the articles sold at the business he was working at in Nottingham. Smith was manager there for six years.[4] He later took classes in tailoring and began working with theSavile Row tailor Lincroft Kilgour.[8]
Smith opened his first shop,Paul Smith Vêtements Pour Homme, in Nottingham in 1970. The shop, located at 6Byard Lane, had a floor area of only twelve feet by twelve feet (less than fifteen square metres) and sold a mix of established labels alongside Smith's own designs.[9][4] His shop was open on Fridays and Saturdays only, and for the rest of the week Smith did freelance work in Nottingham and London. It was during this time that he took classes in tailoring and worked as a buyer forBrowns in London.[4][5]
In 1976 he presented his first menswear collection inParis, featuring a combination of casual and semi-formal clothing. Three years later, in 1979, he opened his flagship London store onFloral Street inCovent Garden.[10]
In 1990, Smith introduced a one-off collection for boys, which marked the beginning of his childrenswear range.[13] In 2010 this developed into the seasonal linePaul Smith Junior, often including child-sized versions of adult pieces.[14] He launched his first womenswear line,Paul Smith Women, in 1993, following demand from female customers who had been buying smaller sizes of his menswear for their own use.[15] In 1993, also, he acquired the long-established workwear label R. Newbold, founded in 1885, and incorporated its styles into his own collections.[7]
In 1995, theDesign Museum in London exhibited 'True Brit', a show marking 25 years of his business. The exhibition later travelled toGlasgow for the 'Festival of Design' and then moved to his hometown of Nottingham and was put on display inNottingham Castle.[16]
The brand launched its e-commerce site in 2004.[17] In 2006Itochu bought a 40% stake in Paul Smith, but the company remained majority-owned by Smith[18][19][20]. In January 2016, Smith combined his men's and women's fashion shows, showcasing duringParis Fashion Week.[21] As of November 2025, the brand Paul Smith claims 130 stores in over 60 countries, including the USA, Japan and South Korea, in cities including New Dehli, Seoul, San Francisco, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan and Copenhagen.[2][22] There are also stores dotted around England, in Nottingham, Manchester, Bicester, York and Ellesmere Port, as well as eight in London and three airside atHeathrow Airport, in terminals 2, 3 and 5.[22]
In 1997, Smith designed aMini that was produced in a limited edition of 1,800 cars.[23][24] He later returned to the brand in 2021 with theMini Electric using sustainable principles, with recycled and natural materials, for example cork.[25] Smith also designed the Mini Strip, an electric model created with recycled and natural materials, intended to demonstrate sustainable design principles.[26][non-primary source needed] He also worked withTriumph Motorcycles, restyling theBonneville T100 in 2005[27] and withLand Rover on a bespokeDefender.[28][29] In 2018 he collaborated with James Turner of Sports Purpose to cover a 1965Porsche 911 with multicoloured stripes; the car went on to appear atLe Mans Classic and theGoodwood Festival of Speed.[30]
Smith has undertaken a number of projects in furniture and interiors. In 2002 he worked with Cappellini on a small homeware collection,[31] and in 2006 collaborated withMercian Cycles on a series of bicycles.[32] He also designed seating forBroadway Cinema in Nottingham that year.[33] In 2014 he began a collaboration withAnglepoise, reimagining the Type 75 lamp as "Edition One"; further editions followed in 2016 and 2018.[34][35][36] He has also produced designs forGufram, creating a new version of its cactus-shaped coat stand in 2016.[37]
Smith's textile and fashion collaborations include his long-running partnership with US brand Maharam, which began in 2003,[38] and work with Rapha, the cycle clothing company, from 2007.[39] In 2010 he collaborated withBurton Snowboards, adding his signature stripe to boards and apparel.[40] In 2012 he joined withJohn Lobb to produce a series ofOxford,derby andloafers.[41] He has also worked with Kask on the design of cycling helmets (2015, 2018),[42] withCaran d'Ache on two editions of its "849" pen (2015, 2016),[43][44] and withBerry Bros & Rudd on a limited wine collection (2016).[45] Further accessories projects include limited edition eyewear withCutler & Gross in 2018, in tribute to his close friend Tony Gross.[46] The same year Smith collaborated with theGlobe-Trotter by redesigning their 20" trolley case to celebrate its 120-year anniversary, first showcased at theSalone del Mobile.[47]
Smith has designed uniforms, kits and accessories for major sporting events. He created a jersey for the start of theTour de France in London in 2007,[55] designed suits for theManchester United team in 2009,[56] and in 2013 produced the leader's jersey for theGiro d'Italia, including the Maglia Rosa.[57] He also worked withNew Balance in 2018 to mark the 30th anniversary of its 576 sneaker, creating footballs and boots in his trademark stripe pattern.[58]
In 2005 Smith redesigned theLasonic i931 boombox, giving it a "crisp, white design" with a touch of "Paul Smith's multicolor trademark seen in many of his clothes and accessories".[59] In 2012 Smith partnered withLeica to release a limited-edition version of theLeica X2 camera.[60]
In 2001 Smith published his first book,You Can Find Inspiration in Everything.[61]In 2016, Smith's second book,Paul Smith's Cycling Scrapbook, was released, documenting a personal history of a sport about which he has been passionate all his life.[62]
Since 2019, Smith has collaborated with the book illustrator Sam Usher to produce two illustrated children's story books featuring animals, travel and the pursuit of inspiration, published by Pavillion Children's Books.[63][64]
Smith has received a wide range of awards. He was appointed aRoyal Designer for Industry in 1991.[4][65] He was named Designer of the Year at theGQMen of the Year Awards for four consecutive years.[66] In 2010 he received theCondé Nast Traveller Innovation and Design Award, shared withAnya Hindmarch.[67] The following year he was presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award at theBritish Fashion Awards 2011.[68]
In addition to industry honours, Smith has been recognised by professional bodies. He holds an Honorary Fellowship of theBritish Institute of Interior Design.[69] In 2015 he was included inGQ's 50 best dressed British men.[70]
In February 1997, Smith was made an honoraryFreeman of theCity of Nottingham in recognition of his contribution to fashion and his ties to the city.[74] In 2013, Smith designed and made a school tie for Beeston Fields Primary School in Nottingham.[75]
Sudjic, Deyan;Loveday, Donna; Smith, Paul (2013).Hello, my name is Paul Smith: fashion and other stories. New York: Rizzoli International Publications.ISBN978-0-8478-4158-5. Published in association with the Design Museum, London. 272 pages
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