The iconic British fashion house produce some well made kicks for a life spent outside.
Speaking on his SS22 collection, Paul Smith expressed an awareness that the style his brand is known for is struggling for relevancy at the moment. Rather than getting stuck in the mud, he’s embraced modernity and is now making pieces for an era where ‘anything goes’. His on the ball designs allign with the contemporary desire for the relaxed rather than the fitted. Another on-trend influence captured was the fetish for the great outdoors, although his perspective on it differs from the gorpcore warriors that have flooded Instagram in the past few years. Speaking on the collection’s connection to the outdoors Paul said:
‘Living in the city I wanted to highlight that you should be getting out there. The outdoors doesn’t need to be the remote Yorkshire fields, but can be a park. I live in Central London and my nature connection comes through Hyde Park and Holland Park. We’re all hooked to social media and our phones and we need to just get outside. It’s not a collection that is for hiking, fishing or rock climbing, but more just ideal for life outside.‘
Whilst the benefits of grounding are increasingly acknowledged, most outdoor scenarios still require foot protection and Paul Smith’s latest footwear collection offers the opportunity to do it with panache. In a season where Smith says functionality influenced his footwear construction, they provide multiple silhouettes to cover multiple functions.
On offer are a strong variety of trainers, sandals, sliders and our personal favourites some suede deck shoes. Served alongside a quality selection of colourful garments as well as an interesting luggage collaboration with Japanese brand Porter, Smith’s valution of the collection as ‘positive’ is certainly true.
