GIORGIO ARMANI

When Paul met Giorgio

The two legendary fashion designers talk shop, discussing everything from role models and career highs to their strong Italian and British roots

Giorgio Armani: Paul, you started with your little shop in Nottingham, I started as a window dresser and then a buyer at La Rinascente [in Milan]. How did your experience on the shop floor shape your vision as a designer? For me, it was an invaluable asset, a call to realism that I still treasure.

Paul Smith: There’s nothing better than hearing what the customers are requesting, commenting on or criticising, and it does keep your feet on the ground – but then, over the years, I learned that you’ve got to get the balance right between attention-seeking clothes that you use for a catwalk or for publicity, and the clothes that pay the rent.

PS: I was wondering whether there was an important role model or mentor in your earlier life who guided your decisions, and helped you establish yourself as who you are today.

GA: My real mentor, supporter and sidekick in the business has been Sergio Galeotti, my business partner and the one with whom I started the company. Apart from talent, Sergio saw things in me that I didn’t. He pushed me to believe in my ideas no matter what, and helped in every way. Without him, there would be no Giorgio Armani enterprise. I owe him a lot and even though he passed away almost 40 years ago, he is still a presence in the house. His spirit and energy persist everywhere.

GA: And are there any designers you admire and look up to? I have always had a fondness for Coco Chanel and for Yves Saint Laurent. What about you?

PS: My wife Pauline and I were lucky to visit some of the great couture shows when we were first starting out, which was just an amazing experience and has definitely informed my steadfast focus on maintaining the quality of everything I make. We were also fortunate enough to get to know Yves and Pierre Bergé. The last Le Smoking that Yves made was for Pauline. She still has it in her wardrobe and seeing it gives me goosebumps.

PS: I wanted to be a racing cyclist until I had a bad accident when I was 17. What would you have been if not a designer?

GA: I wanted to be a medical doctor when I was young, but that was not really my calling. I would probably have