London Design Festival 2009 Medal Winner
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Each year, London Design Festival recognises the contribution made by a leading design figure to London and the industry with a London Design Medal. This is awarded to an individual who has distinguished themselves within the sector and has demonstrated consistent design excellence.
London Design Medal: Sir Paul Smith
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Paul Smith was awarded the London Design Medal for his contribution to design and the city.
Paul Smith is an English fashion designer, whose business and reputation is founded upon his menswear and his signature multicoloured stripe pattern. One of the few Britain-based fashion designers to combine commercial success with critical credibility, Smith creates 'classics with a twist' and celebrates eccentric British styling. Born in Nottingham in 1946, Smith's story started out after leaving school with no qualifications and starting in a clothing warehouse; falling into fashion 'by accident'.
By 1976, he had shown his first menswear collection in Paris under the Paul Smith label. Smith was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000, after nearly three decades as a menswear icon.
Nowadays, the brand Paul Smith has grown into a premium British designer label, featuring classic menswear designs alongside the iconic multicolour stripe. The fashion designer has products sold in over 200 shops and through 500 wholesale customers in Japan alone, where his label out-sells every other European designer.
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