Designer Paul Smith in Hong Kong: the need to change holds no fear for this survivor
After four decades at the forefront of a cutthroat industry, fashion’s down-to-earth everyman shows no signs of slowing down. And he throws down a challenge to landlords on shop rents
“Are you all right?” asks a perturbed Paul Smith as I wince and gingerly take a seat next to him. We are in the Liang Yi Museum in Sheung Wan, surrounded by the British designer’s latest autumn-winter collections for men and women.
Conscious of limited time, I try to get on with the interview, but Smith coaxes the story out of me. I had recently injured myself in a rather awkward place while attempting to impress a lady. After some playful ribbing, Smith imparts a whole host of advice on wound care, even though we’re supposed to be talking about fashion and some big changes at his eponymous label.
But that’s typical Paul Smith. Working in the pressure cooker environment of high fashion, a business often associated with diva-like behaviour and outsized egos, the 69-year-old’s charm comes from his everyman personality, modesty and what he describes as “normalness”. Knighted in 2000 for services to fashion, Smith rarely, if ever, uses his title, and can’t fully remember if his credit card has it either.
“We’ve been successful, I think, because of people like me. I probably shouldn’t say it like that but what I mean is that I’m a normal bloke, I’m easy to talk to,” he says.
