Sir Paul Smith and Priya Ahluwalia represent the two poles of British fashion – established and emerging, behemoth and bright young thing. Yet opposites can attract: the pair have formed a supportive relationship based around their similar approach to their chosen profession. Their distinctive brands are built upon a simple, shared premise: clothes should be fun to wear.
It is well known that Smith, born in Beeston, just a few miles from Nottingham, grew up with aspirations of becoming a cyclist but, following an accident and three months in hospital, decided to try his luck in the clothes – making trade instead. In 1970, he opened his first shop in that city; now, with 132 Paul Smith stores in more than 60 countries, and a knighthood for services to British fashion, the septuagenarian designer is an international household name, lauded for his fusion of tradition and modernity. His designs are, in Smith’s own words, “classic with a twist” – a turn of phrase that borders on cliché today, but a terminology and ideology that Smith invented. His clothes are simultaneously functional and whimsical, eccentric and elegant and, accordingly, infused with a quintessentially British sense of humour
