Famed for its distinctive multicoloured stripes and eye-catching storefront designs, Paul Smith has grown from a fledgling shirt business based in a tiny, windowless room in a Nottingham back alley to a multi-million-pound empire that spans the four corners of the globe and sells products ranging from suits to cycling helmets. Sir Paul Smith himself owns all of his stores outright (that’s over 300, btw), was knighted in 2000, is something of a Britpop icon in Japan, and just happens to be one of the nicest men in the industry. So, how does a school drop-out become the UK’s most successful fashion export?
Born in Nottingham in 1946, Sir Paul had dreamt of being a professional cyclist, but a major accident at the age of 17 dashed those hopes. During his recovery, he began hanging around a local pub, frequented by students from the local art school who taught him (among other things) that Bauhaus wasn’t the name of a nearby housing estate – and his spark for design was born. Swapping cycling shorts for suits (and gaining extra tutelage from his then girlfriend, now wife, fashion design teacher Pauline Denyer), Sir Paul went on to work in a local fashion shop, dressing windows and writing invoices, before learning tailoring from the experts on Savile Row. Soon after, Paul Smith – the brand – was born.