Sir Paul Smith laments lack of risk-taking in modern fashion

Sir Paul Smith thinks young people are too “nervous” about “standing out” to want to take risks with fashion.

Sir Paul Smith thinks young people are too “nervous” about “standing out” to take risks with fashion.

The 80-year-old designer finds it “really exciting” that he doesn’t just cater to older customers but he feels individuality has started to fade away and people are less likely to look for “creative” ways to dress.

He told The Guardian newspaper: “Yes, a lot of our customers are older, but 20-odd% are not, they’re quite young, which is really exciting.

“They’re not as … brave is the wrong word, but the creativity in terms of dressing is not as it used to be. I think there’s a lot of nervousness about standing out and peer pressure, and what you think you should look like. Whereas we just did whatever was part of our personality.”

Paul recalled the excitement of building his brand in the 1970s and feels people nowadays suffer as a result of having too much information on hand.

He said: “It was special because it was a time of blank paper, being able to try things out. There was nobody to say you couldn’t do it.

“I think the problem we all have now is that everything’s so homogenised, everything’s so available.

“We’re overburdened with information, with opinions, with everything.”

The Paul Smith brand has struggled in recent times but the designer is staying positive and won’t rest on his laurels.

He said: “We’re definitely not as relevant as we used to be.

“[But longevity] is very much about hard work, continuity, reassessing, never thinking you’ve ‘made it’ because nobody cares how good you used to be.

“If you were here last Saturday, [we sold] at least 10 suits for weddings, for instance. It’s my job to understand the world and how it’s changing, and the wishes and demands of the public.”

Last year the brand lost £22 million but Paul remains hopeful.

He said: “We’ll lose again this year, but luckily I’ve got enough [to cover it].

“We’re going down the right route now. We’re on the verge of breaking even again.”

Paul has no plans to retire but is focused on the next generation of designers via his Paul Smith’s Foundation, to which he intends to leave “literally everything” after he dies.

He said of the charity: “All the things I didn’t know at 20 is what I’m trying to help them with.

“My wish is to just help future generations.”