With Sir Paul Smith growing his business against a
struggling economy, his menswear collection for Spring/Summer 2013 reflects an
industry champion status.
Menswear is headed for brighter pastures, literally and Paul
Smith’s coming collection captures spring in a bottle. With a nostalgic color
pallet throwing minds back to the cinematic feats of Grey Gardens and Edward Scissor
Hands, kodachromatic color was key. Weaving this with whimsical holidays with
the Kennedys in muted pastels, Smith creates an escape from the cold before it
has even begun.
While the collection has been praised as wonderful and
wonderful as it may be, the overall color pallet is nothing entirely new to the market. We
have seen bright pops of color and toned down pastels for many seasons. Fueled by the brand’s signature tailoring, the collection is a market pleaser
and will surely sell itself. I personally found the fall/winter collection much
more original and inspiring, despite average reviews. The collection was based
on the world of The Deep Blue, with pops of neon to reflect bio-luminescence and
coats inspired by sailors of the turn of the century. The concept was
beautifully executed and evident through all product categories in the
collection and in store. Although not to everyone’s liking and an underwhelming
market response, it had character.
With spring/summer pre-collection hitting stores already,
the response has been overwhelming and a welcomed changed from the bleakness of
winter fashion. Consumers are enjoying bright pops and pastels and once again
hailing the color block. The decision to compromise clear inspiration for
people pleasing pastels isn't extremely apparent to the market, but most definitely
seems like a tactical to draw in sales during economic downtime and a strategic
linchpin for business expansion measures. The spring/summer season is aligned
to the brand’s design DNA, but by no means is it a measure of innovation and
market leadership. The collection coming stands to represent market demands
instead. Furthermore it represents business tact and success.
In closing, I think Paul Smith is more than just a designer;
he’s a strategist and understands the weigh off between design, inspiration and
business.
