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

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.