We walked into a room inside an art institution where an installation recreated Sir Paul Smith’s first shop in Nottingham, England, in 1970. It was a reach back to his roots. Measuring three metres by three metres, it was open just two days a week, assisted by his Afghan hound dog, Homer. The organised chaos within that tiny 3m x 3m room helped Paul find inspiration in everything that surrounds him. The depth of Paul’s creativity is examined from within the confines of the cube installation matching the dimensions of the first shop. A beautiful dog named Luca was there as part of the presentation, representing the dog (Homer) he had at the shop, whom customers would speak to first before talking to Paul. The dog was declared to be the shop manager!
Amongst the colourful items found on the shelves and floor were a number of pieces from his autumn and winter 2016/17 collection. This presentation was all about something old meeting something new. It gains influence from British triumvirate John Hoyland – clearly shown through the confident use of colour that runs deep within Paul’s collections.
