The British fashion designer is marking his 80th birthday and 56 years in the industry with a new memoir. In an interview with EL PAÍS, he reflects on the importance of curiosity, the influence of his wife Pauline, Brexit and the challenge of staying relevant across generations.
At 80, Paul Smith remains closely involved in the day-to-day running of his fashion business. Visitors to his flagship store in London’s Mayfair district may find the designer himself serving customers, a habit he has retained despite building an international fashion empire.
“They are the ones who pay my wages,” Smith says, explaining why he still enjoys meeting shoppers. For him, these encounters are an opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds and hear new perspectives.
His memoir, Threads: My Life in Style, marks both his 80th birthday and 56 years in fashion. But Smith says the book is not simply an exercise in looking back. He hopes it will encourage younger designers to pursue success through hard work, commitment, personal conviction and curiosity.
“I have always been a very curious person, but with my feet on the ground,” he says. Unlike designers who pursue rapid expansion, Smith has preferred to build his business gradually while enjoying the process.
A key figure throughout that journey has been his wife, Pauline Denyer, whom he met in 1967. Smith credits her with broadening his horizons and raising his standards, particularly when it came to the quality of fabrics, buttons and finishing.
“She raised my standards,” he says, recalling how she pushed him to pay greater attention to the details that would become central to his brand.
From Nottingham to an international fashion label
Smith left school at 15 and initially dreamed of becoming a professional cyclist. An accident ended that ambition and eventually led him into the fashion industry through a fabric workshop.
He opened his first shop in Nottingham, a small, windowless space in an alleyway, before expanding internationally. His breakthrough in the United States during the 1970s brought him into contact with the celebrities and cultural figures of the era, including regular appearances at New York’s Studio 54.
Yet Smith says fame was never the main objective. Even today, although he continues to dress internationally recognised figures, he prefers to see them as ordinary people rather than celebrities.
His approach to design has also evolved. The traditional British style that shaped his early collections, with its tweeds, country clothing and formal business suits, gradually gave way to a more international look.
Lighter Spanish and Italian fabrics, changing lifestyles and increased travel helped transform fashion. Smith responded by developing a distinctive aesthetic built around classic British tailoring, unexpected details, humour and bold uses of colour.
The business now operates around 130 stores, including 20 in Japan, and employs more than 1,200 people. In its most profitable year, it generated revenue of more than €235 million, according to the interview.
Brexit and the challenges facing businesses
Smith says maintaining control of his company has allowed him to preserve the freedom to experiment and take creative risks. But he believes the business environment has become increasingly difficult, particularly following Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.
A committed opponent of Brexit, he says the UK’s departure from the EU disrupted trade with a significant number of the countries in which his company operates.
He argues that businesses were not adequately represented in the debate and that promises of greater independence did not reflect the practical consequences for exporters.
Through the Paul Smith Foundation, the designer is also helping younger creatives develop the commercial skills needed to run their own businesses. The programme covers practical subjects such as accounting, tax management, growth and international expansion.
Staying curious at 80
Smith’s ability to remain relevant is reflected in the fact that around a quarter of his customers are in their twenties. He continues to draw inspiration from people and ideas across different fields, recalling his conversations with David Bowie as an example of the value of seeing the world from a different perspective.
Bowie, he says, approached everything with curiosity, from books and paintings to the objects around him. That willingness to look at familiar things differently is a quality Smith has tried to maintain throughout his career.
He still starts his days early, often swimming before work, and remains closely involved in the business. At 80, his philosophy appears largely unchanged: keep learning, pay attention to detail and never lose interest in the people and world around you.
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