The world has changed, but not Paul Smith. When the English designer opened his first boutique in his hometown of Nottingham in 1970, fashion was not yet a lucrative industry structured by powerful groups. Aged 76, Paul Smith is still passionate about his work. He manages a company of more than a thousand employees, with one hundred and twenty-five shops in twenty-five countries, whose independence he has managed to preserve, away from the luxury conglomerates. Sympathy that it inspires – a bit like Jean Paul Gaultier – rubs off on his brand, which dresses very different audiences: his well-cut suits seduce those who want to appear chic but not stuffy, his everyday wardrobe with a touch of fantasy proves to be transgenerational, the good bill earned him the approval of specialists.
It is perhaps because nothing predestined Paul Smith to a career in fashion that he traced a path apart. The boy, who grew up in a modest family in Nottinghamshire, was preparing to become a professional cyclist until a car knocked him down when he was 17 and forced him to reconsider his plans. Before becoming a designer, he was ” handyman “photographer, stylist, salesman, assistant, fabric designer… Today, he is both boss and designer, and still spends most of his Saturdays in his London boutiques.
“I like it, I meet interesting people there who come from all over the world. And then, unlike many others, I never forget that it is the customers who pay my bills”, he says with a smile. Paul Smith can afford to be critical with the environment: he has chosen not to be part of it. Meeting in Paris in his beautiful private mansion in the Marais.
What does it change to be independent?
Creation is always a pleasant and spontaneous act. During the meetings, we put on music, we nibble on chocolate, I climb up on the table and try on an item of clothing… it stays light, good atmosphere. I never bothered with “brand identity” issues and all the industry gibberish.
How did you resist the pressure from the big groups?
My aversion to borrowing from the bank made me cautious. Over time, when I had some spare cash, I didn’t buy a Rolls-Royce or a private jet. I invested in stone, it’s my old school side. I’m proud of my longevity: I’ve never been number one, and so much the better, because once you get to the top, you can only go down.
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