Sir Paul Smith - ‘People In Fashion Are Insecure’
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
It's everybody else that's w noticed I'm eighty. You know, if nobody have told me I wouldn't have wouldn't have made any difference. They call they say, Oh, Paul's job, yes, head of happiness. That's my job. What
a great job. I do
clothes as well.
Yeah.
I was living home with my mum and dad. And suddenly I had a lady from London with two children, two dogs and two cats. So it was um quite a move forward.
Yeah. Hello and welcome to How to Fail with me, Elizabeth Day. This is the podcast that believes you can dress for success, but only if you've understood your failures first. Before we get into this conversation, please do remember to like, follow and subscribe so that you never miss a single episode. Home is one of those things I really care about. It's where I write, it's where I decompress, it's where my husband and I debrief after a hectic day. So I am obsessed with making it feel nice. And there's been one thing in our sitting room that has driven me mad for ages, and that's the rug. It's just too small, and it's kind of floating in the middle of the room, and I've known it's not right for ages, but not quite done anything.
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Some evil thing happened here.
Three people die in a quiet suburb in Mississauga, Canada.
It's not a coincidence.
Она афер, і на сай хау. Із бadлук ортим морси?
The worst investigative mess I've ever had.
A long simmering what took you so fucking long. To get here. From Sony Music Entertainment, this is what happened to the Harrisons. I'm Amy Dempsey Raven. What happened to the Harrisons is available now on The Binge. Search for it wherever you get your podcasts to start listening today. Subscribers to The Binge can listen to all episodes all at once, ad-free.
Sir Paul Smith is one of Britain's most iconic fashion designers, renowned for his sharp tailoring and his sartorial flair. His winks of mischief, brightly coloured suit linings, an affinity for stripes, are part of what give his classic clothes a uniquely modern perspective. Although probably too modest to claim the label, he's also a revolutionary. In the 1990s, he was one of the first designers to print photographs on fabric, and he's also credited with reinventing the humble boxer short. The youngest of three children, Sir Paul's father, was a draper. It was his dad who took his youngest son to work as an errand boy in a Nottingham clothing warehouse after the young Paul left school at fifteen with no formal qualifications.
Initially Sir Paul wanted to be a cyclist, but a serious road accident at the age of seventeen put paid to those ambitions. He began taking evening classes in tailoring, and was later spotted by the Savalrow tailor Harold Tillman, who offered him a job. In 1970, he and his wife Pauline opened their first shop in his hometown of Nottingham. His first full menswear collection was shown in Paris six years later. By the year 2000, he had established a globally successful business and was awarded a knighthood. His devoted clients include Gary Oldman, Bill Nye, and Matty Healy, who wore a Paul Smith suit to his recent wedding. And as if that weren't enough, Sir Paul has even had a tram named after him. His new memoir, Threads, My Life in Style, paints a picture of a man who is a lifelong observer and who built a world by paying attention.
As Sir Paul puts it, I always say that you can find inspiration in everything. And if you can't. Look again. Sir Paul Smith, welcome to how to fail.
That was a very very nice uh introduction. Very posh.
Well good. And it said
it's very it said very what was it, smart or elegant, uh sartorial, and I've been a I I'm in a purposely washed suit today.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–16:17
2
What sparked Sir Paul Smith’s shift from cycling to fashion?
16:17–17:34
3
How did the first Paul Smith shop get launched in Nottingham?
17:34–23:34
4
Why does Pauline’s standards matter for the brand’s longevity?
23:34–28:34
5
How have Paul and Pauline balanced love, step‑parenting and business?
28:34–32:37
6
What does Sir Paul say about the insecurity and comparison trap in fashion?
32:37–40:25
7
How did Brexit and COVID‑19 test the independence of Paul Smith?
40:25–47:35
8
What guides Sir Paul when choosing collaborations and saying ‘no’?
47:35–56:34