Paul Smith is the man behind the stripes

Born in Nottinghamshire, England in 1946, a teenage Paul Smith was an aspiring cyclist until he had a cycling accident. His six-month recovery saw him lose touch with his sporty friends and fall in with an arty crowd who inspired him to do a tailoring course.
After cutting his teeth working for a well-known Savile Row tailor, Paul opened his own shop in Nottingham that sold established clothing labels as well as his own menswear. The latter became so popular that he quickly expanded, opening another store in London, one in Japan and eventually the US. Then, in 1993, he began making womenswear when he realised that women were buying his menswear in smaller sizes. Paul was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000, the same year he married his long-time partner Pauline and, coincidentally, the two events occurred on the same day. ‘I was knighted at 11 and married at four. She became an instant Lady,’ he says. Today, Paul has more than 200 stores across the globe, but still lives in London with his wife and her two children.

CAR COUTURE
Smith has designed everything from coffee mugs to cars, including a limited edition MINI Cooper covered in his signature multi-coloured stripes. His most recent car design, however, is a colour blocked Land Rover Defender created in 2015.

CRAZY COLLECTOR
A self-described hoarder, Paul owns a huge collection of art, books and toys – the latter being mostly rabbits. This is the result of a comment he once made about how rabbits bring him luck. ‘Now I get sent between 10 and 20 a week,’ he says.

SNAP HAPPY
Paul knows his way around a camera, thanks to his amateur photographer father. He’s shot many of his brand’s ad campaigns and uses his stores to exhibit his work.

Subscribe to Club, for more fashion stories .