Paul Smith

There are a set few designers that couldn't be anything but British, Burberry, Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith. For me, I have always admired Paul Smith's work as a go to place for extremely well done Menswear. His signature style is a 60's-esque one with clever and original tweaks. I have even more aprreciation for his brand after watching the documentary about him available on Netflix (netflix n' chill CAN be educational). Smith shows how key it is to be a businessman and not just a designer. The USP is being quintessentially British which is part of the garments, print designs and even in store. The shop here in Nottingham (where Paul Smith is originally from), is just like walking into someone's house. There is an eclectic mix of objects and colours, it creates a genuinely nice space to be in.

Printed Fabrics is one of the most famous part of the Paul Smith world. For me personally, I spend a large amount of time on market fabric stalls hunting for end-of-line Paul Smith fabric to sew with. Italian or French quality but British aesthetic, what's not to love? Watching the documentary, we see Smith gathering inspiration everywhere from Vintage Markets in Portobello Road to old books about Space. I feel on repeat but it really does go to show that you need a really wide net when looking for inspiration if you want an original idea.

We see Smith's office which is full of interesting objects and stacks and stacks of books. His filing system is the cables above the light switch. Which brings me to the question- how do you store and organize your ideas and visual information? This is still something I am working out- I currently have a book shelf and numerous shoe boxes. Not great. In my dreams, I would love a specifically organized library- maybe in rainbow order. 

How do you keep your inspirations?

Anna