Paul Smith has seen it all: Mods, rockers, ska, punk, dandies, new romantics and mods again, the sub cultures that have defined half a century of British youth and street style; clothes and attitudes shaped on these grey shores and shipped globally. No one else in British fashion knows British fashion better than Sir Paul.
So, for Autumn/Winter 2021, it makes sense that Paul Smith settled on, so say the notes accompanying the show, a "journey through the subcultures that have signposted his career, remixing icons of British clothing design for a new generation." Set inside a crisp grey hangar, a theatre from the future, the focus here is on the Old Great British Tribal: the patterns, colours and social signifiers of these subcultures. A heavy, oversized tweed coat and dangling scarf that might have been worn by a young Morrissey, hair tousled and scowling. Suits in red tartan call back to Seventies ska and The Specials. Silk pyjamas, bombers and tinted sunglasses arrive from the psychedelia era, while prep and punk are covered with mohair knits and soft stripes. Turned up ankles, white socks and black patent loafers serve as a nod to northern soul and new romanticism.
Smith describes this as a 'Best Of Album'. Having spent the last year reflecting on 51 years in the business, he sees this as a love letter to the clothes that he has made, and those that have come to define him. There are, of course, signature stripes and fluorescent jabs of colour, in fleece-lined caps with flaps over the years and puffer jackets. Florals, an ever-present motif in his work, appear on intarsia knits, on ties and cleverly integrated into a navy workwear suit. A Hawaiian print is used to honour the Aloha shirts he would peddle from his original Notting Hill store.
Yet, this is no recycling job, the standout pieces from the collection are two beautiful overcoats 3D printed with mottled, abstract floral motifs, a classic Smith pattern updated for the digital age. There are trainers made with Vibram soles — a 2021 clout signifier if ever there was one.
51 years down the road, Smith has created a collection that aims to capture all of it: the mods, punks and new romantics that have come, gone, come again and gone again. An ode to Britain then and Britain now.
Paul Smith has seen it all.
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