Back in 2013 (W* 174), Paul Smith unveiled a bold new exterior for his No. 9 Albemarle Street London flagship. The façade, designed by RIBA award-winning local practice 6a Architects, wrapped the 18th century Georgian townhouse within an industrial cast-iron curtain. ‘Tour groups even come by to see it,’ says Sir Smith proudly, ‘because it's the only iron façade in the whole of Mayfair.’
The storefront’s repeating elliptical motif, inspired by the area’s wrought-iron balconies, gratings and railings, has since been adopted as an embossed insignia for his new leather goods line No. 9. ‘While we were casting the façade, Wallpaper* actually asked me to go down to the foundry in Essex where they were making it for a photo shoot,’ he continues. ‘It was amazing to see the team there using traditional methods to create this incredibly modern architectural feature. The pattern on the façade is particularly special and as much as it works on a shop-front it also seemed made for leather too.’
The resulting eight-piece collection, which ranges from gentlemen’s wallets to handbags and iPad cases, replicates the façade’s interlocking circles in the finest English calfskin, embossed and then sealed with a semi-aniline coating to ensure a suitably luxurious, lacquered finish.
‘While we were casting the façade, Wallpaper* actually asked me to go down to the foundry in Essex where they were making it for a photo shoot,’ says Sir Smith of our 2013 (W* 174) article that documented the work. ‘It was amazing to see the team there using traditional methods to create this incredibly modern architectural feature.’
'The pattern on the façade is particularly special and as much as it works on a shop-front it also seemed made for leather too.’ The resulting eight-piece collection, which ranges from gentlemen’s wallets to handbags and iPad cases, replicates the façade’s interlocking circles in the finest English calfskin
The façade, designed by RIBA award-winning local practice 6a Architects, wrapped the 18th century Georgian townhouse within an industrial cast-iron curtain. ‘Tour groups even come by to see it,’ says Sir Paul proudly, ‘because it's the only iron façade in the whole of Mayfair.’
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Portrait of a modernist maverick: last chance to see the Jean Cocteau retrospective in Venice‘Cocteau: The Juggler’s Revenge’, celebrating the French artist's defiance of artistic labels, is in its final week at Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice
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Brazilian island hotel Auka Boipeba offers a unique approach to the alfresco experienceDesigned by architecture studio FGMF, Auka Boipeba describes itself as an inn, though it’s certainly unlike any inn we’ve ever been to
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What to visit during London Open House 2024? We asked a friendLost in choice? London Open House 2024 is as exciting as it is expansive. We asked some of our friends, all experts in their architectural field, for their tips on what to visit at this year's event
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Pitti Uomo 106: what we learnt from the Florence menswear fairWhile this season’s Pitti Uomo guest designers embraced Florence’s uniquely cinematic setting, at the fair itself, brands presented comprehensive offerings that crossed seasons and celebrated Italian craft
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Paul Smith opens up ‘Bar Paul’ for his return to Pitti Uomo after 31 yearsPaul Smith’s S/S 2025 menswear collection, shown yesterday evening as part of Florence menswear fair Pitti Uomo, was inspired by the Italian coffee bars of London’s Soho and their artistic patrons
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Men’s Fashion Week S/S 2025: what to expectBeginning this weekend, everything we know about Men‘s Fashion Week S/S 2025 so far, from Dries Van Noten’s final show in Paris to an intimate Craig Green presentation in London
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Best in shows: Wallpaper* picks S/S 2024’s standout looksAs part of Wallpaper’s Design Awards 2024 issue, we select the winning S/S 2024 runway collections – and their defining looks – at the start of a new season in style
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Why the men’s tie is no longer a relic of the pastIn the hands of these designers, the men’s tie is being reinvented in colourful, imaginative new fabrications – making it 2024’s most desirable accessory
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First look at Paul Smith and Mulberry’s colour-soaked bag collaborationBritish stalwarts Paul Smith and Mulberry have united on colourful new bags that riff on the latter’s classic ’Antony‘ messenger style
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On Giorgio Armani’s 90th birthday, we revisit his career-spanning conversation with Paul SmithAs Giorgio Armani celebrates his 90th birthday, we look back to the October 2022 issue of Wallpaper*, where the then-guest editor sat down with British designer Paul Smith to discuss his extraordinary career and enduring design principles
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Paul Smith and Ahluwalia unite for a cross-generational collaborationThe inaugural recipient of &PaulSmith, a new collaboration and mentorship program, Priya Ahluwalia has teamed up with the veteran designer on a new capsule collection – the perfect encapsulation of their two distinct worlds
