
Fashion designer Paul Smith was born on July 5, 1946, in Nottingham, England. He is the founder of the fashion brand Paul Smith.
As a boy, he aspired to be a bicycle racer, but gave up after an unfortunate accident. He later became attracted to the art world after befriending some art school students at a pub. At the age of 20, he met Pauline Denier, a textiles teacher at the Royal College of Fine Arts, and they became partners both professionally and personally.
In 1970, he founded Paul Smith Limited in Nottingham, selling clothes from brands such as Margaret Howell and Kenzo. He also launched his own eponymous brand and held his first show in Paris in 1976. The following year, he began presenting his new menswear collections in Paris each season. The brand opened its first shop in London in 1979, and has since gained worldwide acclaim.
In 1994, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II, and in 2000, he became the second fashion designer to be knighted. In 1997, he designed the suit worn by Prime Minister Tony Blair when he was inaugurated, and for the next 10 years he designed suits for official duties, establishing his position as one of Britain's leading designers.
Currently, in addition to the main line, "Paul Smith," the brand offers lines such as "Paul Smith Collection," "PS Paul Smith," and "Paul Smith Jeans."
In November of this year, the Design Museum in London will host an exhibition titled "Hello, My Name Is Paul Smith," tracing the brand's history from its founding to the present day.
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