Paul Smith

Designer name: Paul Smith

Origin: Nottingham

Career highlights: “Opening my first shop in Japan, my first show in Paris and being knighted in 2000.”

Design signatures: “Classic with a twist.”


How would you describe your ideal client? “Hopefully someone who is individual and not looking for label identification.”


Trademark piece: “Trousers galore.”


Three autumn/winter 2012 inspirations: “Rich texture, men’s tailoring and deep colour.”

What does 2012 hold for your brand? “2012 is a very exciting year for Britain, particularly with the London Olympics. I have three new shops opening this year in Melbourne, Amsterdam and London so it is going to be busy.”

What is your favourite decade in fashion? “I don’t have a specific favourite. All decades have a different significance and inspiration.”

Where do you go in London to seek artistic inspiration? “London is such a multicultural city with so many museums, art galleries, cinemas, restaurants, theatres - I am constantly inspired, be it by the iconography of a painting, the rhythm of a building or a sentence of a book.”


Winner of BFC Outstanding Achievement Winner 2011