Paul Smith’s Paris Fashion Week Tribute: A Creative Journey Inspired by Dad’s Lens

Paul Smith consistently draws inspiration from his journeys, but for his most recent collection, presented in Paris on Wednesday afternoon, he focused more on local influences.

The amateur photographic work of his father, Harold B Smith, provided the foundation for his collection. Attendees entered the venue through a recreated dark room complete with buckets of emulsion, hanging negatives, and a stainless steel sink. A booklet showcasing some of Smith senior’s pieces, a founding member of the Beeston camera club in Nottinghamshire, was placed on every seat.

Instead of a conventional catwalk event, models emerged in groups of three while Smith explained each ensemble. This personal method stood in stark contrast to the massive productions that have become the norm in luxury fashion. Smith’s gathering saw around 200 guests, whereas Louis Vuitton the prior evening hosted nearly 2,000.

“We’re not one of the large groups, so what else can you do?” he reflected backstage when queried about his approach. “The advantage is a person who can discuss matters.”

And discuss, he did. Although Smith is just a couple of years shy of his 80th birthday, he exhibits no inclination towards slowing down. Instead, he bounced around, expressing excitement about fabrics, cuts, the details of a glove, the height of a shoe, and his father’s chaotic doodles that he employed as patterns on knitwear and tailoring.

At one point, he produced a mooing toy cow from a bag. At another, he retrieved a plastic egg from a shoe – his distinctive magnificent, grey bouffant contributing to the eccentric professor persona. This exemplified British eccentricity at its peak, further heightened by some somewhat perplexed French editors who remained expressionless throughout.

Smith stated that his father was a perceptive individual, frequently capturing “small instances that others might overlook.” This trait appears to have been inherited by Smith junior.

He is meticulous about detail, even in aspects that are not visible. Corduroy trousers were adorned with prints on the inside to create a vintage appearance, while the linings of jackets showcased enlarged images from his father’s negatives. Ties and shirts were crafted from coordinating fabrics, a technique he learned from his friend, the photographer David Bailey, who originally acquired this skill during his time in the Royal Air Force.

While these garments were intended for the contemporary man, Smith utilized traditional techniques and materials to ensure their longevity. Some trousers were fashioned from thornproof tweed, originally created for hunters to endure bramble. An upcoming partnership with Barbour introduces a whimsical twist on its signature parkas, with detachable hoods that can be interchanged.

He also explored his own collection. Form-fitting knitted sweaters in satsuma orange and plum were inspired by the snug jumpers he used to craft for clients like David Bowie during the 70s. At the time, he could not afford to create them, so he would purchase sweaters from the schoolboy section of his local department store.

While the atmosphere in the room was lively, it has been a difficult period for the brand, grappling with Brexit, Covid, the conflict in Ukraine (Smith closed his Russian stores in 2023) and the elimination of tax-free shopping for visitors. It has endured five consecutive years of losses, with recent statistics revealing a pre-tax deficit of £5.3 million for the year ending 30 June 2024, compared to a loss of £2.3 million in the previous year.