Heritage
A house, in its own words
Sir Paul Smith opened his first shop on Beeston Road in Nottingham in 1970, offering tailored shirts and bold patterns that challenged the British tailoring tradition. The shop’s success allowed him to launch a full ready‑to‑wear line in 1976, and the distinctive multicolour stripe appeared on his first collection that year. By the early 1990s the label operated stores across Europe and Asia, and it celebrated its 25th anniversary with a retrospective exhibition in London. The brand’s first fragrance, Sunshine Edition for Men, arrived in 2008, followed by Rose Summer Edition in 2010 and a series of limited‑edition rose scents that highlighted seasonal florals. In 2013 Paul Smith introduced Portrait for Men, a scent that combined classic British notes with contemporary spice. The fragrance portfolio expanded to include Sunshine for Women (2011) and a series of rose‑focused releases through 2017. In September 2022 the house launched its inaugural home‑fragrance collection, offering candles and diffusers housed in reusable two‑tone glass vessels. Throughout its history the label has kept a focus on colour, humour and a commitment to quality that resonates across fashion, fragrance and home products. Paul Smith treats scent as another canvas for storytelling. The creative team starts with a colour or a mood, then translates that feeling into olfactory ingredients that can be worn or experienced at home. The brand values authenticity, so it avoids trends that feel fleeting; instead it chooses ingredients that have a clear heritage, such as English rose or Mediterranean citrus. Collaboration with external perfumers ensures technical expertise while the in‑house design team guides the narrative. Sustainability informs the process: the home‑fragrance vessels are designed for reuse, and the company favours suppliers that demonstrate responsible farming practices. The overall vision is to make fragrance approachable, witty and unmistakably British, without sacrificing refinement.
