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Paul Smith uses dad’s photography to inspire Paris fashion week show

Intimate, eccentric show launches set of modern pieces made with traditional techniques and vintage touches

Paul Smith regularly takes inspiration from his travels but for his latest collection, shown in Paris on Wednesday afternoon, he stuck a little closer to home. Ties and shirts were designed in matching fabrics, a trick he picked up from his friend, the photographer David Bailey, who originally learned the technique from his stint in the Royal Air Force. While the mood in the room was buoyant, it’s been a challenging time for the brand, between Brexit, Covid, the war in Ukraine (Smith shuttered his Russian stores in 2023) and the loss of tax-free shopping for tourists.

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