Things become evidence of ideas
"When you travel the world, you see things. It could be a piece of a beautiful house in Greece painted in mint green or a beautiful blue, or it could be someone's clothes as you pass by in Morocco." - Paul Smith
Paul Smith said that he could get ideas from anywhere and that everything that exists was a source of inspiration. As he said, he was interested in all the sights he encountered and the various objects that make up the scenery. He did not pass by the world in vain and captured it with his eyes.
The reason he was called the most British designer may be because of his attitude of observing the surroundings. Someone said his style was "a snapshot of the past seen through the lens of the present." The naivety of using a photo of a flower he took himself as a sofa pattern is his design world.
©Paul Smith
His close-up perspective was influenced by his father, who was a novice photographer. His childhood background of riding a bicycle and taking photos since his teens fostered his observational side. He was preparing to become a cyclist, but his dream was cut short by a car accident, but as he once revealed to the media, every day was a new beginning.
Instead of pondering unrealized aspirations, he dreamed of other possibilities to save himself from unexpected conflicts. Although he was of an age to go to school like his peers, he did not go to regular education, but worked as a warehouse clerk in a clothing warehouse and as a salesperson in a clothing store, creating new days.
When I had the accident, I often went to a pub, and at the time, there were a lot of students attending art school there. I naturally started hanging out with them and my perspective broadened to other fields. The clothing store where I worked as a clerk was the store of a friend I met at that time.
Paul Smith and his wife Pauline Denier ©gettyimages
After that, he met his wife Pauline Denier, who studied fashion at the Royal College of Art in London, and began designing. His wife became his one-on-one tutor. Paul Smith himself said that it would not have been possible without his wife. He learned everything from the proportions of clothes to the choice of fabric.
Although it wasn't a sophisticated curriculum, the feedback was fast, so even though he was a late learner, he quickly became a designer. He made pants for Jimmy Page, a member of Led Zeppelin, and dressed David Bowie.
©Paul Smith
Repeated practice and learning. Sometimes, he establishes his own concept of the shape of clothing by looking over the shoulders of others and with his own eyes. After that, he opened a shop in a corner of Nottingham where he was born and raised, with no windows, and after only 6 years of freelance work, he debuted in a collection in Paris.
As a brand, Paul Smith remains an independent design studio. It is one of the few designer brands that has not been acquired by a large company and has developed independently. Paul Smith reminds us of this fact every morning by saying, “There is no boss.” As the name suggests, Paul Smith is the CEO, major shareholder, and ultimate design officer of Paul Smith.
Jonathan Ive and Paul Smith ©Darren Gerrish/WireImage
Jonathan Ive, Apple's chief design officer, commented, "Paul Smith is free from the constraints established by traditional design dogma." His decision to choose a path that is not dependent on big capital while doing the design he wants to do seems to have come from his attitude toward life, which since childhood has been based on trusting his own choices rather than the paths taken by others.
“I don’t want to mess up my head with what other people are doing,” he added, revealing that he never reads fashion magazines. Perhaps his unexpected side comes from his unbridled self-expression.
That may be why his designs are so fun. Like his story that it doesn't matter what other people see, it's what you see that matters. Sometimes, humans have to believe in their own potential.
©Paul Smith
He enjoys challenges. He focuses not only on clothing but also on furniture and household items. Every landscape he sees is an inspiration to him, so all objects that exist in reality become his tools of expression. Therefore, the density of expression he possesses is clearly shown in other areas as well.
It is a design method that adds wit by modifying the classics. There is nothing that he does not jump into, including books, chairs, lighting, water bottles, rugs, bicycles, cameras, cars, motorcycles, and snowboards. There is even a separate account for interior design in Paul Smith's official email. You can guess how much interest he has.
A scene from the 2019 exhibition, Hello, My Name is Paul Smith. Paul Smith's office is recreated ©DDP
If you think about it, it might be natural for Paul Smith to develop an interior part. He said that the many things he has picked up while wandering around the world make him interesting and happy. And the 'accumulation' of these things becomes a warehouse that inspires new collections and designs as an idea.
So his office is extremely crowded with all sorts of things. His desk is a kind of display stand. Therefore, we need to look at his perspective on things, not through clothes, but through something else. What things did he design, and what things did he collect? Objects are evidence of the thoughts that represent an individual.
"I mix fashion with a variety of jewellery, books, art, antiques and interesting and beautiful toys." - Paul Smith
©Paul Smith
Paul Smith For Leica - Leica CL Paul Smith Edition
This is his second collaboration with the German camera manufacturer Leica. For Paul Smith, who always carries a camera, the collaboration with Leica is especially meaningful. This is because the camera is the tool that has helped him develop the aspect of a free-thinking observer. While taking pictures, Paul Smith has built up the foundation of his thoughts.
On the back of the camera, the phrase 'Look and see' is written in Paul Smith's handwriting, a detail that hints at his world view, quoting his proverb, "Many see, but often they do not see."
©Leica
Paul Smith's custom Land Rover Defender model that became the seed for the Leica collaboration ©Paul Smith
This product, which was produced in a limited edition of 900 units, comes in seven color editions. Paul Smith developed the colors based on the Land Rover Defender Custom model that Paul Smith and Land Rover collaborated on in 2016. Each product is numbered and features Paul Smith’s illustrations engraved on the body, making it a fun camera.
It reflects Paul Smith's design approach by introducing kitschy elements such as illustrations to a classic body and deploying straps in bright neon colors. It is a collaborative model that seeks harmony between tradition and modernity.
©Paul Smith
Paul Smith & Finn Juhl
This collection pays tribute to Finn Juhl, a representative Danish designer. Finn Juhl is a master who has brought furniture to the level of sculpture. The level of sculpture does not mean that he is immersed in beauty, but rather that he has designed furniture that skillfully accepts the curves of the human body.
Finn Juhl created furniture that took into account the three-dimensional shapes of humans, and this soon became a concept representing the practicality of Northern European furniture. He was a key figure in the modernist movement from the 1940s to the 1950s, and is a designer who can never be left out in the history of furniture.
57 Sofa ©Paul Smith
108 Chair (above) and 109 Chair (below) ©Paul Smith
France Chair ©Paul Smith
Above all, there is a reason why Paul Smith discussed Finn Yule. It is because he used colors well. Finn Yule is a designer who used various colors well in appropriate places. When you look at the sideboard and glove cabinet designed by Finn Yule, you will immediately think of Paul Smith's unique colorful striped pattern.
Finn Juhl, who blended warm colors with wooden furniture, is definitely different from the architects and designers who were active at the same time. His furniture is warm, and if you look closely, you can read the primitiveness of mankind. That is why there is no sense of incongruity. Is it because it conveys Finn Juhl’s philosophy that furniture controls the atmosphere of a space?
©Paul Smith
The amazing way of developing lines and the simple yet elegant aesthetic identity of Finn Yule were also the reasons why Paul Smith borrowed him. Finn Yule understood how things work and how they look beautiful. Like Paul Smith, Finn Yule was a faithful observer of nature.
©Paul Smith
©PIXAR
Anglepoise® and Paul Smith Type75™
Anglepoise, also known as Pixar lighting. The stand that appears in the logo of the world-renowned animation production company 'Pixar' is the Anglepoise lighting. The original model of Anglepoise with springs was first released in 1932, and it holds the honor of being the first lighting with an adjustable angle. It was developed by George Carwardine, an automobile engineer, based on the range of motion of a human arm.
Originally, its initial use was as industrial lighting to illuminate manufacturing lines. However, because it was a leading product boasting the greatest flexibility at the time, it gradually became widely loved in homes and offices, and has become a product that symbolizes British design today. It is the origin of the concept of being able to control the viewing angle and light intensity just by changing the angle.
©Paul Smith
The Anglepoise® and Paul Smith Type75™, a collaboration between Paul Smith and industrial designer Kenneth Grange, was designed with timeless design in mind. As the Anglepoise design has remained true to its roots to this day, the collaborative collection had to follow the same pattern.
Kenneth Grange took note of this and structured the entire framework so that it would not look weak or lacking in form and function while consistently taking the exposed points of the body. In addition, Paul Smith, the master of color, referenced the movement of the abstract art group 'De Stijl' created by Mondrian and Van Does Burg to enable a colorful approach to the product. This part is particularly evident in Edition 3, where you can see a bold and playful appearance expressed through bold expressions of color.
©Paul Smith
Paul Smith for The Rug Company
The owner of The Rug Company met Paul Smith at his Westbourne house in Notting Hill to see if he would be interested in designing a carpet. Their conversation was always pleasant and the collaboration came naturally. They actively visited each other’s shops to share their philosophies and work processes. Paul Smith described his involvement in the rug design process as an evolution of his clothes, shirts and knitwear.
The rugs designed by Paul Smith for The Rug Company are hand-knotted by artisans in Nepal using Tibetan wool as the raw material. This process is not easy even for the artisans.
This is because it had to reflect the values that Paul Smith has always pursued as his design philosophy, which is to be classic yet have natural changes. It is understandable, as the more natural a color is, the more difficult it is to express.
©Paul Smith
If the colors expressed in the rug were to be compared to paint, they would be closer to watercolor than oil paint. This is the result of a subtle tightrope walk where the colors do not invade each other, rather than pursuing the intensity and saturation of the colors. The focus is on the fact that rugs are an element that adds fun and color to today's interiors.
The somewhat murky brightness and saturation are clearly intentional, and since the rug is not the main element of the space but rather a supporting means, it is not overly excessive, but rather a more natural design. The delicate color is expressed meticulously through gradation, which is outstanding.
In particular, colors are layered and applied in layers, and at the point where the colors intersect, they smoothly transition to another color. Therefore, each color does not collide and merges into one. The layers rise and fall repeatedly.
Paul Smith's signature striped pattern is featured on the inner door, a sign of Paul Smith's playful side ©P aul Smith
The MINI Strip (co-)created by Paul Smith
Mini. Mini is absolutely unmissable among Paul Smith's collaborations. Because Mini is an object that became the beginning of the rainbow stripe pattern for Paul Smith. The stripe pattern began in 1997. Paul Smith was inspired by a rod wrapped in multi-colored threads. He applied the colors of these threads to the car's exterior to express bright energy.
©Paul Smith
However, the Mini Strip we will discuss now is very different from the previous collaborations. As the meaning of Strip, which means ‘to take off’, boldly removed the paint elements that symbolize Paul Smith. Through Mini Strip, Paul Smith wanted to show what the design of cars should be like in the carbon-neutral and eco-friendly era, focusing on simplicity, transparency, and sustainability.
©Paul Smith
Paul Smith spent months figuring out how to recreate a one-off car without destroying its original structure. He completely dismantled the structure of a three-door Mini Cooper SE and rebuilt the car using only the essential elements of the frame, with the aim of reducing the appearance to a bare minimum during the reassembly process.
Eco-friendly materials such as recycled Perspex acrylic, rubber, and cork, which are based on sustainability, were used as parts, and while utilizing reusable materials, the finish was meticulously designed to live up to the Mini's reputation as a compact premium car.
Rather than adding unnecessary finishes, he focused on minimalism that reduces conceptual elements to convey his idea of what sustainable design is. This is also related to the fact that he intentionally exposed raw materials and screws, rather than following the existing leather and chrome. This is to bring out elements such as the aluminum steering wheel as vividly as possible.
©Paul Smith
Paul Smith + Caran d'Ache
This is the item that most vividly shows the color joke expressed by Paul Smith. The two brands that have a common denominator in dealing with colors have already collaborated for the third time. Caran d'Ache, a manufacturer of writing instruments and art supplies founded in Switzerland in 1915, produces items based on a deep understanding of colors. It is no exaggeration to say that it is the essence of expression, from the feeling of writing and the expressiveness of colors to the classic feel from the hexagonal body.
The same goes for Paul Smith. His signature pattern is also a variation of 24 colors with 86 different thicknesses of lines, so the collaboration between the two is the work with the highest density of synergy. Paul Smith also carries the Caran d'Ache 849 ballpoint pen with him so much that he always uses it.
Caran d'Ache 849 collaboration model ©Paul Smith
Painting by London-based artist Fred Coppin of a collaboration between Paul Smith and Caran d'Ache ©Paul Smith
What this fact implies is that, even in the digital age, many designers still rely on the sense of traditional tools. Paul Smith himself has already said that paintings and other traditional art tools still play an important role in his design process. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that color symbolizes Paul Smith's career, and the Caran d'Ache pen is definitely one of its axes.