Fashion is about today and tomorrow. Nobody cares how good you used to be.
- Sir Paul Smith.
Birth :
Sir Paul Smith was born on 5th July, 1946 in Nottingham, England. His father was a draper and amateur photographer. From a very young age, he was very much interested in cycling and wanted to be a professional racing cyclist.
Career :
He left school to work in a clothing warehouse at the age of 15 with no qualification as an errand boy. There he used to practice cycling outside of office hours. He used to go up and down, cycling to the office till the age of 17. He involved in a serious road accident which made him to stay in hospital for 6 long months. During his 6 month stay at the hospital, he made few friends there, who, after his recovery held regular meetings in a local bar. Those friends were students of local art college. It was that moment, Smith decided to join the fashion designing world along with his new friends. Smith also started to take tailoring classes in Nottinghamshire where he learned to cut cloth as well as all the basics. His girlfriend encouraged him to set up a clothing store. With his overall life savings of 600 pounds, he opened his first store "Vetement Pour Homme" in Byard lane which was only 3 square metres.
He used to sell established brands in his store and his own designed clothes too. After seven years of opening his first store, he decided to try his luck in Paris. In the year 1976, Smith travelled to Paris to showcase his first line of men's collection. From that moment, he never looked back. His brand grew at a high pace. He opened his flagship store in Floral street, Covent Garden, London in 1979. He also opened a store in Tokya in the year 1984, which later increased to 165 stores across the country. He opened his first shop in New york's Fifth Avenue in 1987. His designs were inspired by the classic British menswear he admired as young boy. His designs were simple yet elegant. He is famous for his multi-colored stripes, floral designs.
He was made Royal Designer for Industry in 1991. He launched his first ever women's line collection in 1993. The same year he took over 'WorkWear' clothing company. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000. Paul Smith now has 15 shops Uk and over 200 stores around the world including Japan, Paris, Milan, New york, Hong kong etc.
