Back in 2013 (W* 174), Paul Smith unveiled a bold new exterior for his No. 9 Albemarle Street London flagship. The façade, designed by RIBA award-winning local practice 6a Architects, wrapped the 18th century Georgian townhouse within an industrial cast-iron curtain. ‘Tour groups even come by to see it,’ says Sir Smith proudly, ‘because it's the only iron façade in the whole of Mayfair.’
The storefront’s repeating elliptical motif, inspired by the area’s wrought-iron balconies, gratings and railings, has since been adopted as an embossed insignia for his new leather goods line No. 9. ‘While we were casting the façade, Wallpaper* actually asked me to go down to the foundry in Essex where they were making it for a photo shoot,’ he continues. ‘It was amazing to see the team there using traditional methods to create this incredibly modern architectural feature. The pattern on the façade is particularly special and as much as it works on a shop-front it also seemed made for leather too.’
The resulting eight-piece collection, which ranges from gentlemen’s wallets to handbags and iPad cases, replicates the façade’s interlocking circles in the finest English calfskin, embossed and then sealed with a semi-aniline coating to ensure a suitably luxurious, lacquered finish.
‘While we were casting the façade, Wallpaper* actually asked me to go down to the foundry in Essex where they were making it for a photo shoot,’ says Sir Smith of our 2013 (W* 174) article that documented the work. ‘It was amazing to see the team there using traditional methods to create this incredibly modern architectural feature.’
'The pattern on the façade is particularly special and as much as it works on a shop-front it also seemed made for leather too.’ The resulting eight-piece collection, which ranges from gentlemen’s wallets to handbags and iPad cases, replicates the façade’s interlocking circles in the finest English calfskin
The façade, designed by RIBA award-winning local practice 6a Architects, wrapped the 18th century Georgian townhouse within an industrial cast-iron curtain. ‘Tour groups even come by to see it,’ says Sir Paul proudly, ‘because it's the only iron façade in the whole of Mayfair.’
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Men’s Fashion Week S/S 2025: what to expectBeginning this weekend, everything we know about Men‘s Fashion Week S/S 2025 so far, from Dries Van Noten’s final show in Paris to an intimate Craig Green presentation in London
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Best in shows: Wallpaper* picks S/S 2024’s standout looksAs part of Wallpaper’s Design Awards 2024 issue, we select the winning S/S 2024 runway collections – and their defining looks – at the start of a new season in style
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Why the men’s tie is no longer a relic of the pastIn the hands of these designers, the men’s tie is being reinvented in colourful, imaginative new fabrications – making it 2024’s most desirable accessory
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Paul Smith’s iconic pink Los Angeles store has had a makeoverPaul Smith’s Melrose Avenue address, known for its bright pink façade, has had a ‘facelift’ by Standard Architecture in collaboration with the designer
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Paul Smith unites with NYC label Commission for a collection inspired by familyFor the ongoing &PaulSmith project, the British designer has united with Jin Kay and Dylan Cao’s Commission for a collection exploring generational style
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First look at Paul Smith and Mulberry’s colour-soaked bag collaborationBritish stalwarts Paul Smith and Mulberry have united on colourful new bags that riff on the latter’s classic ’Antony‘ messenger style
