The Paul Smith Brand: A Happy Accident

The Paul Smith clothing line is a brand that almost never happened. When he was just 16 years old, Paul Smith fell into the world of clothing when his father pushed him into taking a menial job at a local clothing warehouse. Smith didn’t become interested in fashion right away. In fact, he has dreamed of being a professional racing cyclist and was pursuing that avenue when he was in a terrible accident at the age of 17.

Paul Smith then spent six months in the hospital, during which time he made several new friends. Once he was out of the hospital, he made arrangements to meet with some of the people he had met. He met these new friends at a local pub where the patrons spoke of artists such as Kokoshka, the Rolling Stones, Miles Davis, and Warhol. This experience sparked his curiosity about the world of ideas.

Two years later, Paul Smith had his first boutique, located in Nottingham. His girlfriend, who is now his wife, encouraged him to open up another ship, which he did in 1970. He then began to take evening classes and, by 1976, he had introduced Paris to his first menswear collection.

Not long after, Paul Smith had himself well-established as the top British designer. He is known for his ability to look ahead into fashion trends and can even get new trends started.

Today, the Paul Smith brand has twelve different collections. These are Paul Smith, PS by Paul Smith, Paul Smith Women, Paul Smith London, Paul Smith Jeans. Paul Smith Accessories, R. Newbold, Paul Smith Fragrance, Paul Smith Shoes, Paul Smith Pens, Paul Smith Watches, and Paul Smith furniture. The collections are produced mainly in England and Italy, though the fabrics are mostly Italian..