It measured just 3 x 3 metres and had no windows — it was a room but we called it a shop. It was called ‘Paul Smith Vêtements Pour l’Homme’, and opened in 1970 at 6 Byard Lane, Nottingham. I had an Afghan hound called Homer. He was the shop manager — we looked the same. Initially the shop was open only on Friday and Saturday; the rest of the week I was doing anything to earn some money. It is important to have a dream but also to be able to support that dream — in my case it was supported by doing many freelance jobs. The shop went from being a single back room on a Nottingham back alley to a proper shop at 10 Byard Lane with staff and open six days a week. My first showroom was a bedroom in a Paris hotel and my first collection comprised of just six shirts, two jumpers and two suits, which I laid out on a bed covered in black felt. Only one person turned up at the end of the final day but they placed an order — that was the beginning of my business. My first show in Paris was in a friend’s flat on the Boulevard Vaugirard. They let us move out all their furniture, we wrote to people to ask them to come, we had models and helpers who were all friends, and music — the champagne came from the local supermarket. It was very crowded, very successful and really exciting. Now we have four fashion shows a year: two for men in Paris and two for women in London. We also show our clothes in our showrooms in Milan, Paris, New York, Tokyo and London. I am not a big fan of fashion shows but they are a necessary part of the theatre of fashion and the final ingredient of a recipe that’s been cooking on the stove for six months. The purpose of the show is to put our clothes in front of the journalists and the buyers from around the world, but this is just part of the process.

Paul Smith

I have been collecting prints and photographs since I was a teenager. My collection includes famous artists such as Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Banksy, but also works which have been sent to me by friends, family and unknown enthusiasts since the 1990s. The collection is displayed on the walls and basement of my office in Covent Garden, London. I work in Covent Garden and my office is crammed full of objects — I have a desk which I have never sat at because it is totally covered in things. The only tidy surface in my office is a huge rosewood table that is always empty. The rest of my office is a madhouse — there are books, bicycles, cameras, rabbits, robots, kitsch things, letters, bills, and bits and bobs all over the place. Many things I have picked up on my travels across the globe, things that interest or amuse me. I receive many gifts and letters through the post each day from unknown admirers all over the world. The office is the equivalent of my brain. From all the things accumulated in my office, one idea will form and be the inspiration for a new collection or for the design of a new shop.

Paul Smith

Ideas can come from anywhere — you can take inspiration from anything. Literally anything can spark off an idea. I keep track of the countless images and ideas that come into my head with a digital camera and a notebook that I fill with sketches, words and telephone numbers. I have an extensive photographic archive that reflects how I find inspiration from observing — people look, but so often they don’t see. The design studio is where ideas are created. We will use many things as references — films, artists, photography, general observation. Colour is important — this could mean printing familiar things in unexpected colours. We are famous for our print, and in particular, our stripes which are all developed in our design studio in Covent Garden. We develop our stripes by winding coloured yarn around cardboard which slowly builds up to create a stripe. In this way we can see how colours work together and how the balance of the stripe will work on a garment. We are working constantly to design three clothing collections for women and four clothing collections for men; the print design alone takes up a lot of my attention.

Paul Smith

I have been taking photographs since I was eleven; photography is one of my hobbies. My father was an amateur photographer and founding member of the camera club in Beeston, Nottingham. He inspired my passion for photography. I have a camera with me at all times. I am always taking photographs wherever I am in the world — it’s my visual diary. Many famous photographers have shot our advertising campaigns — David Bailey, Julian Broad, Hugh Hales-Tooke, Sandro Sodano, Mario Testino and others. A few years ago it was suggested that I take photographs for the campaigns, which is something I have done ever since. I constantly strive for individuality — we never work to a formula.

Paul Smith

I find collaborations stimulating and challenging. One of my first collaborations was with the car manufacturer, Rover, on a Mini. Since then, we have designed cameras, rugs, motorbikes, bicycles, snowboards and much, much more. Our strength has always been to know what to say ‘no’ to, as well as ‘yes’.

Paul Smith

I hate shops that all look the same — I love individuality. We design all our own shops. I want each of them to have its own character and one which reflects its setting in some way. When I opened my first London shop in 1976 at 43 Floral Street, Covent Garden, it was one of the few minimalist shops in Europe. People were surprised to find a shop selling a Dieter Rams designed Braun calculator, a pink Dyson vacuum cleaner and a Filofax, as well as clothes. This is something we continue today setting beautifully tailored clothing next to vintage and contemporary books, art and collectables - a shop in which you can find interesting objects and surprises. Every Paul Smith shop is different with a unique design approach behind each one. The shops offer something completely modern but with a sense of traditional values in the way that customers are treated. I like the smell of beeswax polish, the feeling that someone cares. When you come into a Paul Smith shop, even if you don’t buy anything, you should have a pleasant and memorable experience.

Paul Smith

We produce twenty-eight collections a year. Inspiration for a collection can come from anywhere — an art book in my office, a market in India, a church in Lithuania, traditional dress from Guatemala. I am much more interested in finding the key idea and choosing the right fabrics and colours. My clothes are rooted in tradition and express modernity — ‘classic with a twist’. I like my clothes to hold a secret — a sober grey suit with a brightly coloured lining, ties with unexpected linings. The clothes in this section have been purposely grouped into four main themes that have inspired my work, rather than by year. My designs often draw on very British traditions and motifs. Past collections have referenced, for example the British postage stamp, rock ‘n’ roll, the Women’s Land Army, British poets, artists and eccentrics and much, much more. I am frequently travelling, which influences everything that the company does. My work is influenced by travel — past collections have featured Afghan jackets, Chinese sequinned cheongsams, Indian embroidered velvet kaftans and men’s shirts printed with the names of Buenos Aires barrios. Every year I make at least two trips to Japan, which is one of our most important markets. I go on regular fabric buying trips to Italy and France. Print has always been a hugely important feature in my collections. It started as a way of adding individuality to menswear, pairing a simple navy suit with a floral shirt. I was one of the first designers to use the photographic print technique on fabric. Imagery for shirts has ranged from apples, leaves, flowers, clouds, budgies, kittens, jellyfish, to a plate of plastic spaghetti. Over the years, print has extended to T-shirts, bags, and scarves, as well as jacket linings. We are famous for adding colour. My stripes have been so popular because they are colourful — colour makes people happy. If used in the right way, colour can add interest and express positivity. Colour has been added to classic garments in the form of linings, or simply as punctuation marks.

Paul Smith