10th Anniversary - Summer Sonic

12 July,2009

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Summer Sonic, the biggest music festival in Japan, I am having an exhibition in the Paul Smith Box Gallery, Tokyo showing 10 years of the festival's posters and t-shirts. This winter, in the shops, we have an accessories collaboration with my friend the artist Craigie Aitchinson. The exhibition starts today and will run till the 9th August.
Paul Smith Jeans have been an official sponsor of the festival since 2003.
The actual festival takes place 7th - 9th August and is split between Tokyo and Osaka. For more information visit Summer Sonic

This picture taken on Sunday 5th July is of the finishing touches being made to the structure. I love the work of these architects and have visited several buildings designed by them on my trips to Japan.

 

My Life In Travel: Paul Smith

9 July,2009

First holiday memory?

I always had wonderful family holidays in Dorset, but I didn't travel abroad until I was 16. My first foreign trip was to Lake Como with the youth club. We travelled by coach and train, and I remember being overwhelmed by the beauty of the place.

Best holiday?

The "best" is always a difficult one, because so many trips have different meanings and high points. However, the first time my wife and I went to India in 1984 was incredibly memorable. We spent a few days in Delhi and then went on to Udaipur and Jaipur. Of course, the Taj Mahal was impressive, but so was the Lake Palace Hotel, where we stayed. As a designer, the main impact was the beautiful colours worn by the ladies in Rajasthan. About 10 years ago, there were many places in the world that I either wanted to go to for the first time or revisit, such as the Great Wall of China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Russia. As I travel for many months every year, I decided that the only way to visit these places was to make a "day trip". My first was to Delhi – I arrived at midnight and left the same time the following day. They have become quite a regular thing, and are really crazy but also very challenging and exciting.

Favourite place in the British Isles?

I love Charmouth in Dorset, because of mychildhood memories of searching for fossils on the beach.

What have you learnt from your travels?

To keep it simple – and know what you are letting yourself in for.

Ideal travelling companion?

My wife. If not her, then I love to travel alone because it allows me to be spontaneous.

Beach bum, culture vulture or adrenaline junkie?

All three, because we all have changing moods and requirements. Last year, we visited Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil in one trip. We loved it, but arrived back home wanting a holiday. Last week, we just sat on a beach in the Bahamas, so now we really want to do a cultural trip, probably in Europe. For a more adventurous holiday, I would probably visit the desert in Chile or go down to Patagonia.

Greatest travel luxury?

Time, a good camera and nice toilets.

Holiday reading?

In my case, it's more like holiday "holding", because often I just hold the book I have taken and daydream instead.

Where has seduced you?

Italy seems to have seduced me, because I have a home there. The people are friendly, the food is great, and you get good summer sun. When I moved to London in the late Seventies, I kept my home in Nottingham, but eventually decided to sell it. Rather than letting the money disappear, my wife and I decided to buy a second home, and during that time we had supper with a close friend who told us that their friend would show us some houses for sale near the beautiful city of Lucca in Tuscany. We flew out to Pisa to meet them and bought a house. That was 20 years ago.

Worst travel experience?

Any trip that involves major airport delays – the worst one being an entire day late because of a broken plane at Olbia airport in Sardinia.

Worst hotel?

I think it was a hotel in Selkirk, on the Scottish Borders, when I was working in a knitwear factory nearby many years ago. The only heating was a one-bar electric fire, and there was nowhere to get food because the owner had gone fishing.

Best hotel?

Special to me are the Villa d'Este in Cernobbio, Lake Como; the Park Hyatts in Tokyo and Milan; the Grand Hotel et de Milan; and my secret hotel in Nottinghamshire, but I'm not telling you the name.

Favourite walk/swim/ride/drive?

Swimming in the pool at the Villa d'Este, which floats on Lake Como. The drama of the lake and the mountains together is breathtaking, and the mood of the lake changes so rapidly with the mist, fog, sunshine and snow. I also love cycling in Tuscany, around the walls of Lucca; it's so relaxing because there are no cars.

Best meal abroad?

Steak and chips at Chez Georges in Paris; pork at the River Café, London; and lamb at Gianni Pedrinelli in Piccolo Pevero, Sardinia. Chez Georges is special because it is still family-owned, the interior is very traditional and the food is old-fashioned French. The River Café is still one of my all-time favourites, even though it's not abroad. Pedrinelli is a family business, Gianni is the boss, the sister is the chef, the brother is front of house, and mum and dad are there in the background. Gianni goes to the markets at 5am every morning, hand-picking all of his ingredients. The lamb is roasted on the bone and cut at the table, and the meat literally falls off, it is so beautifully done.

First thing you do when you arrive somewhere new?

Find out where everything is, how everything works, and where the fire exit is.

Dream trip?

Anywhere with my wife. Chile would be the first choice, but revisiting Argentina and Mexico would be high on the list.

Favourite cities?

Tokyo has great energy; London and Paris have variety and culture.

Where next?

The 7.30am train to Nottingham on Wednesday. Then Paris next week, then Japan soon after, and so it goes on... I travel seven months every year.

The Paul Smith Globe shop opens at Heathrow's Terminal 5 on 27 March

Region trots out feral pig plans

18 June,2009

Infrared cameras have captured the pests, which have plagued the community for the past two months.

Boar Busters director Paul Smith said complaints about the pigs at Kuranda had soared from one a month to three a week.

He said his company was applying for government grants and private sponsorship to combat the swine scourge at Kuranda and East Trinity.

"We get support from the local council and State Government and the private sector in Tully and Innisfail for pig removals; I want to create something like that in Cairns," Mr Smith said.

"With an increase of incidents, Cairns needs our support and we don't want to charge them too much for it, that's why a similar system is needed."

Mr Smith, who has installed infrared cameras to track the animals, said the pigs spread diseases in gardens and destroyed native vegetation while contaminating soil in back yards.

Trinity Beach retiree Jim Ross said it had been 10 years since feral pigs invaded his property, but recently his garden was showing signs of the pests.

"Over the past two or three weeks, my three acres of garden has been destroyed by them," he said. "I've put up electric fences; hopefully they won't come back."

Kuranda's Patricia Chong said she sought the help of pig hunters to rid the pests from her property.

She said several attempts to contact the council for help were futile.

"The pigs are always on our driveway, in the last two months it has got a lot worse, and I've tried to get the council's help, but they faxed me a make it yourself cage kit and I'm too old for that," Ms Chong said.

Barron River MP Steve Wettenhall supported Boar Busters' efforts to deploy a feral pig management plan at Kuranda similar to the one used at Tully.

portland press herald obituaries

17 June,2009

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First photo of stabbing victim may aid probe

16 June,2009

GARDAI probing a fatal stabbing last night released a picture of the victim in a bid to move the investigation forward.

This is the first picture of Maurice Martin , from Navan, whose body was found in a pool of blood in Finglas, north Dublin, on Friday morning.

Mr Martin had been stabbed a number of times in the neck and chest following an apparent row.

His body was found by a taxi driver on Friday morning between the Cardiffsbridge Road and the Tolka Valley Road.

In a bizarre coincidence, he was found close to the home of a major crime figure who was discovered shot to death later that same day.

Paul Smith is thought to have been murdered because he swore revenge for a gangland killing which happened last year.

Killings

Yesterday a garda spokesman said murder inquiries into both of the killings were continuing but no arrests have been made as yet.

Post mortems have been carried out on both men and the results have been returned to investigating officers.

Originally from the Finglas area, Mr Martin had been living in Navan, Co Meath, for a number of years.

Meanwhile, the shooting of Paul Smith, from Dunsink Drive in Finglas, is the 14th gun murder this year.

The dead man was said to have been a senior crime figure in the local area but not in wider gangland.

His body was found in a ditch in a field near Balbriggan just off the M1 just before noon on Friday.

The man, who is suspected by gardai of killing him, is also understood to be connected to the murder of Paul 'Farmer' Martin, who was shot in the Jolly Toper pub in Finglas last year.

Gangland

Mr Smith was a close associate of Mr Martin and had said that he would avenge the murder.

Locals in the Finglas area are said to have become very concerned at the violent gangland events which have blighted the area in the recent months.

"People are very concerned about the proliferation of, not just guns any more, it is knives and weapons of various types," said Mr Carey.

"The gardai are working very hard, it is being very heavily policed, it has been for a long time.

"There is concern about the fact there is this ongoing level of feuding that is going on between various groups.

"Some of them I wouldn't even elevate to the word gang," he added.

Paul Smith Card Case

15 June,2009

With fathers day approaching fast, why not treat your dad to something a little nicer than the generic gifts from the high street and supermarkets.

Paul Smith have this excellent Black leather card case which has space for up to 8 credit cards with large slot pockets underneath plus a large note compartment, all featuing the classic striped design on the lining.

The great thing about this card case is the print on the inside of it… a picture of the iconic Mini (which celebrates its 50th birthday this year) Cooper painted in the Paul Smith stripes parked up near a lighthouse.

Other detailing includes white stitching and binding with the Paul Smith Signature logo embossed on the front.

If you are feeling generous there is also cufflinks, neckties,tee shirts and a weekend bag available in this range.

Celebs Design Havaianas for Charity

13 June,2009

Yesterday, there was Beckham mania for the launch of the Emporio Armani Underwear Fall/Winter 09/10 campaign, but Selfridges London has also reached out to charities for its centennial celebration.

After setting up a Havaianas (Brazil's best export after supermodels) customization pop-up shop, the British retailer has invited celebrities and designers, such as Paul Smith, Alek Wek, Jade Jagger and Lulu Guiness to join in on the DIY fun by designing their own pair of flip flops.

Starting June 15 until midnight on June 26 (London time), you can bid on the fashionable one of a kind footwear via a silent auction on Selfridges' website. All proceeds will go to CLIC Sargent, a charity that supports children with cancer.

With designs completely up to interpretation, the sandals range from the zany, such as Matthew Williamson's bejeweled barnacles fiasco, to the artsy, like Basso & Brooke's origami inspired pair.

But if art is a reflection of its creator, then Naomi Campbell's design is right on point. The supermodel transformed the lowly flip flop into a killer stiletto.

Paul Smith accepts the Queen's Award for Enterprise

12 June,2009

Paul Smith is pleased to accept the Queens Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category this year.

The Queen's Awards for Enterprise are the UK's most prestigious awards for business performance. They recognise and reward outstanding achievement by UK companies. The Awards are made each year by The Queen, on the advice of the Prime Minister, who is assisted by an Advisory Committee that includes representatives of Government, industry and commerce, and the trade unions

"We are obviously delighted and honoured to receive this award. We are pleased to say that our business around the world still continues to grow even during these more difficult financial times." Paul Smith

The award for International Trade recognises companies that have demonstrated growth in overseas earnings. Over the past six years Paul Smith has seen group turnover increase from £77m to £150m and has more than doubled export sales from the UK where it employs over 630 staff.

Burton collaborate with Paul Smith

11 June,2009

Burton Snowboards and Paul Smith Jeans have once again joined creative forces for their third limited edition collection. Following on the worldwide success of their two previous collaborations, the 2009 collection will be sold in Paul Smith shops throughout the UK and at Burton Flagship Stores worldwide beginning in September 2009.

"Once again, it has been a pleasure to work with the design team at Paul Smith," says Greg Dacyshyn, Senior Vice President of Creative at Burton. "For our latest collaboration, we decided to depart from the traditional menswear inspired pieces we've developed together in the past. Instead, we ventured into styles inspired by the 80's punk era in the UK, which is right up Paul Smith's alley. The resulting look is edgy, bold and completely unique for snowboarding."

The latest collaboration expands beyond exclusive snowboarding outerwear pieces to include apparel pieces such as jeans, tee shirts, snowboarding first layer pieces, sweatshirts and jackets. The pieces were designed to combine Burton's innovative fabric technology with Paul Smith's inventive designs. Burton first collaborated with Paul Smith on two outerwear pieces for its winter 2006 collection with great success, and the companies once again worked together on a limited edition collection for Burton's winter 2008 season.

The focal point of the 2009 Fall/Winter collection is a bondage inspired snowboarding jacket that combines fashion and function with welded pockets, taped seams, a pass pocket, gauntlet cuffs and an adjustable hood. The jacket is available in two colorways; black shiny rubber and jacquard leopard print.

A selection of patchwork trimmed tee shirts and sweatshirts are also available in black, white and purple colorways. Bold striped and leopard print first layer pieces and neon alpine knits inject further color into the collection, in addition to slim fitting organic denim jeans.

Burton professional snowboarder Chris Sorman had this to say about the collection, "It really is a different collection and kind of crazy. I think it's very cool that Burton and Paul Smith do collaborations together, and I definitely want to get my hands on these unique pieces."

Marcus James flower print exhibition at T5, Heathrow

10 June,2009

Paul Smith is pleased to host an exhibition of "Flower Print" artworks by British Artist Marcus James. It marks the beginning of the summer season and is a collection of colourful graphic flower prints.

'Flower Prints' includes a series of drawings and screenprints of flowers outlined in white against black with brightly coloured highlights of greens, pinks and blues.

The Art Wall exhibitions are a unique feature to inspire travellers prints will sit alongside items carefully sourced, rare and interesting graphic design books as well as the eclectic items that Paul has gathered on his travels.

for more information visit www.marcusjames.co.uk

Flower Prints
4th to 18th June

Paul Smith "Globe"
T5 Departure Lounge
Heathrow

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