Paul Smith at Paris Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2019

Mood board: The affable British designer was spotted riding his bike through the streets of Paris a day before his co-ed show – his cheery vitality is what keeps us coming back. His S/S 2019 collection was influenced by the photographic printing techniques he learned as a child. Propped up against the wall in Smith’s busy London office is a picture of him at the age of 13 flying on a magic carpet over Brighton Pavilion. In reality he was sitting on a rug placed over wooden fruit and veg boxes installed in his back garden. Smith’s father Harold was a founding member of the local camera club and taught his son how to process film in a makeshift darkroom in the attic. He was interested in trick photography too. The collection features many of their images applied to outerwear.
Best in show: In the course of Smith’s career, tailoring has gone through monumental changes. S/S 2019 looked at suits synonymous with British style and subculture. ‘In the eighties I was involved in the softening of the suit where once stiff fabrics and shapes were suddenly relaxed. It feels like something similar is happening today – many people are talking about a move towards sportswear and a relaxation of dress codes but I’m still passionate about suits,’ Smith said. The collection focused on suits for both men and women. An oversized two-button blazer in lavender cotton was worn with black wide-leg technical pants. A wide-leg wool suit in windowpane check was worn with a polka dot cycle jersey. Jackets and trousers were mismatched.
Sound bite: Smith’s joie de vivre flows through everything he does. ‘I’ve used photographs both from my own collection and from my dad’s archive and used very innovative production techniques to print them onto nylon coats, cotton dresses and accessories,’ he said. ‘I take photos every day of my life, they are a constant source of inspiration both for me and my team.’
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
London based writer Dal Chodha is editor-in-chief of Archivist Addendum — a publishing project that explores the gap between fashion editorial and academe. He writes for various international titles and journals on fashion, art and culture and is a contributing editor at Wallpaper*. Chodha has been working in academic institutions for more than a decade and is Stage 1 Leader of the BA Fashion Communication and Promotion course at Central Saint Martins. In 2020 he published his first book SHOW NOTES, an original hybrid of journalism, poetry and provocation.
-
Michael Rider’s joyful Celine debut: ‘I’ve always loved the idea of clothing that lives on’
Presented today in Celine’s Paris HQ, the designer’s astute debut balanced the house’s recent legacy with a fresh, contemporary vision which nodded to his American roots
-
The Richard Mille x Brough Superior RMB01 is a motorcycle with an exceptional aesthetic pedigree
The RMB01 is what happens when horological obsession meets two-wheeled excellence: a Franco-Swiss racing motorcycle that brings out the best in both brands
-
Six modern bathroom ideas for spaces big and small
Here are our best bathroom designs for 2026: colours, curves and a calming ambience are making a splash this season, with tactile and textured surfaces to elevate your shower room
-
Art meets perfume in cross-disciplinary fragrance series Nez 1+1
Talents from film and fragrance come together to create Ansongo, the latest scent resulting from a creative matchmaking project by perfume revue Nez
-
Haute Couture Week A/W 2025: what to expect
Five moments to look out for at Haute Couture Week A/W 2025 in Paris (starting Monday 7 July), from Glenn Martens’ debut for Maison Margiela to Demna’s Balenciaga swansong. Plus, ‘new beginnings’ from JW Anderson
-
The collections you might have missed this S/S 2026 menswear season
Between the headliners in Paris, Milan and Florence, a few off-schedule displays are deserving of honourable mention – from Martine Rose’s sexually-charged portrait of Kensington Market to Sander Lak’s appointment-only namesake debut
-
Paul Smith brings the Swinging Sixties to Sadler’s Wells in ‘Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet’
In any imagining of Pete Townshend’s ‘rock opera’ – a chronicle steeped in the mythology of the 1960s – the suits need to be razor-sharp. ‘Quadrophenia, A Mod Ballet’ enlisted Paul Smith for the task
-
‘They gave me carte blanche to do what I want’: Paul Kooiker photographs the students of Gerrit Rietveld Academie for Acne Studios
Heralding the launch of a new permanent gallery from fashion label Acne Studios, the celebrated Dutch photographer’s new body of work praises the bravery of ‘people who choose to go to an art school at a time like this’
-
‘I’m surprised that I got this far’: Rick Owens on his bombastic Paris retrospective, ‘Temple of Love’
The Dark Prince of Fashion sits down with Wallpaper* to discuss legacy, love, and growing old in Paris as a display at the Palais Galliera tells the story of his subversive career
-
The standout shows of Paris Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026: Hermès to Craig Green
Wallpaper* picks the very best of Paris Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026, from Véronique Nichanian’s portrait of summer in the city for Hermès to Craig Green’s return to the Paris runway
-
Paris Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026: live updates from the Wallpaper* team
From 24-29 June, Paris Fashion Week Men’s arrives in the French capital. Follow along for a first look at the shows, presentations and other fashion happenings, as seen by the Wallpaper* editors