# Paul Smith Turns 80: The Iconic British Fashion Designer on Loving Dinosaurs, Dressing Paul McCartney and Prepping Daniel Day-Lewis for ‘Phantom Thread’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/paul-smith-turns-80-the-iconic-british-fashion-designer-on-loving-dinosaurs-dressing-paul-mccartney-and-prepping-daniel-day-lewis-for-phantom-thread/
- Published: 2026-11-05T16:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T16:35:23+00:00
- Original publisher: Variety
- Original article: https://variety.com/2026/scene/features/paul-smith-fashion-designer-paul-mccartney-phantom-thread-1236937809/
- Topics: Culture, Fashion, Gadgets, Technology, UK, World

## Key points

- Paul Smith marks his 80th birthday while still working.
- His first Paris collection had 35 attendees.
- The privately owned business is recovering after Covid disruption.

## Summary

Paul Smith has turned 80 while continuing to run the fashion business he founded with his wife, Pauline Denyer. Known for colourful details and a playful sensibility, he says his clothes remain wearable and understated; his career shows how curiosity and humour can shape a distinctive design identity.

Smith presented his first collection in a friend’s Paris flat in 1976, attracting just 35 people but also a buyer from Barneys New York. His clients now include Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis, and he is opening a second New York store after refusing to sell the company during the Covid-19 downturn; he says the business is returning to profitability.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.