Skate-Wear Central

Plaited Jersey

Sir Paul Smith: ‘It’s clothes I love, not fashion’

Sir Paul Smith leans his long, lean frame against the back of the chair, granite brows sinking into a frown, and exhales slowly. London Fashion Week is over for another six months, leaving Britain’s most successful designer free to get back to the serious business of making clothes.

“I’ve always preferred the creative process of designing and selling clothes to the idea of putting on a poncey fashion show,” the 63-year-old explains, his dandyish coiffure at odds with his hearty Nottingham accent. “It would be wonderful if fashion shows died out completely. They’re so time-consuming and costly.”

It is an idea that would devastate lesser designers. “It’s their 15 minutes of fame: pure, self-indulgent theatre. How many girls were there this year in horns or neck braces with bare breasts? It wouldn’t matter if they didn’t take it all so seriously, but the fashion world is a dangerous, superficial and fickle place.”

Sir Paul built his global brand, which boasts an annual turnover of £346 million, without resorting to any gimmickry. He lured in the men first with his “classic with a twist” concept – or “Savile Row meets Mr Bean”, as he puts it: serious-looking suits with a lime-green trim or a flashy lining, and plain white shirts with his signature candy-striped motif beneath the cuffs. Since 1998, Sir Paul has been winning over women with his quirky separates, and tailored skirt and trouser suits. Seemingly impervious to the recession, the brand has doubled its turnover in the past five years, posting a 15 per cent rise in profits to £150 million in 2008.

“I was given a fantastic grounding at Balmain and Yves Saint Laurent’s couture shows in Paris when I was just starting out,” he says. “It was all about proportion and tailoring, something I’ve held dear ever since. So many brands are too conscious of what everybody else is doing. I like to get my inspiration elsewhere: from exhibitions, books, or even a stained-glass window.”

Sir Paul’s spring/summer 2010 collection bears testament to those multifarious influences. Inspired by The Gentlemen of Bacongo, a book by photographer Daniele Tamagni that celebrates the style of a group of young Congolese men and women during the post-colonial Sixties, the collection – all pinks, oranges and reds against earthy tones of black, taupe and ochre – hints at a change of direction. Moving away from traditional tailoring, he has chosen jersey bandeaus, designed to be wrapped closely around the body and worn with voluminous printed voile skirts that billow out above the knee. On the runway last month, Sir Paul had the models in plaited top knots and wired wooden beads to complete the look: “I loved the feminine silhouette all that wrapping around creates,” he smiles.

For further information visit Paul Smith Online Store–http://www.psmake.com

About the Author

http://www.psmake.com

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