Paul Smith is one of the UK’s biggest talents, and today he proved just that with his Fall/Winter 2023 menswear collection. Making his debut at Paris Fashion Week, the Nottingham native known for his colors presented a men’s mix of mixed and manipulated materials, inserting his signature the use of stripes, rainbow colors and prints in almost the entire collection.
FW23 was a look back at the past. The pieces he designed in the 90s acted as inspiration for the smallest details, such as the addition of four buttons on the cuffs of the jacket, the bottom of the trousers and along the inside seam of the jacket. Looking back even further, the designer headed to Milan where he found a collection of carpets, some of which were 200 years old. Pair this with fabrics from local English mills and the Paul Smith FW23 collection is destined for his extensive archive and is sure to be one to remember.
Speaking to Hypebeast backstage, the designer said: “I visited a really amazing collection of old carpets. We got a lot of inspiration from the patterns, they were all a bit odd colors because they were hand dyed.” With this in mind, he transferred this vision to his signature knitwear, adding tweed-like twists along with colorful threads to create a textured array of abstract sweaters, vests and capes.
His tailoring was also heavily inspired by the archives. “We went to the archives to use fabrics that I did in the past, 25 years ago, and I reworked them for modern times. I was just questioning the things I was doing in mine very, very, very a long life, and still somehow stands and jumps!”
But not everything was as clean as it seems. For example, outerwear that looks like it’s made from suiting fabric, complete with plaid prints taken from the archives, is actually made from recycled materials that are water, wind and weather resistant. The houndstooth check consistently used on the pieces was much more, as it alternated in a blue or gray centered design, interlaced with floral motifs taken from those aforementioned rugs.
This goes on to talk about the scarves and shoes that the designer said were “reminiscent”. [him] of his time in London.” We think this is captured perfectly in one final look, a Houndstooth design coat that is belted and cinched, falling beautifully from wide shoulders to a narrow floor length.
All in all, the designer expressed himself best. “If you take this all apart, it’s a very wearable piece of clothing. I’ve always made clothes that people— people – to wear.”
Check out Paul Smith’s FW23 collection above and stay with Hypebeast for more Paris Fashion Week FW23 coverage.
ICYMI, check out Givenchy FW23 backstage.