Paul Smith

A quintessentially British brand with wit and humour at its heart, Paul Smith has organically established itself as a cornerstone of men’s fashion. Having had ambitions of becoming a professional racing cyclist - bicycles feature prominently throughout menswear and childrenswear collections - an accident shelved the designer’s cycling dreams, and a new career was realised: in 1970, he opened a boutique in Nottingham with his girlfriend - now wife - Pauline Denyer, and started taking tailoring classes, launching his first eponymous menswear collection in 1976. Offering superior tailoring, whimsical printed T-shirts and considered wardrobe staples across the mainline and diffusion lines PS by Paul Smith and Paul Smith London, to name but two, an instant Paul Smith hit comes courtesy of the brand's signature striped socks.