Hello, My Name is Paul Smith

Take a look behind the scenes of the Paul Smith world, where intuitive creativity rules. You will meet the astute designer behind this typically British label that started out small but has grown into one of the world’s leading fashion brands.

The exhibition starts from Paul Smith’s personal archive. From the first pieces he sold in his tiny boutique in Nottingham to designs selected by the designer himself from his most recent collections. Along the way, the rise of one of the biggest international fashion brands is portrayed, and we get a glimpse into the uniquely astute mind of the designer.

This exhibition attracted more than 113,000 visitors to the Design Museum in London and broke many a record there. Hasselt Fashion Museum was the only location on the European mainland where the expo went to, as it has traveled on to Singapore, Tokyo, Kyoto, Shanghai, Seoul, am The exhibition gives an insight into the fascinating world of one of the greatest British designers of all time and is a must for fashion and design lovers. The ‘Hello, My Name is Paul Smith’ exhibition was also much larger than in London and featured even more fashion. Paul Smith was hugely involved in the project and made the choices of all the silhouettes himself.

Hello, my name is Paul Smith ‘covers the different stages of design and production with the familiar stamp of traditional craftsmanship with a contemporary edge. Through projections, audio and video clips of fashion shows, behind-the-scenes footage and an overview of all unique Paul Smith shops, this expo reveals the workings and influences of Paul Smith.

In ‘Hello my name is Paul Smith’, you can also literally walk through Paul Smith’s world: you can visit a replica of his first shop in Byard Lane, Nottingham, which was just 3m x 3m, a digital room full of images and sounds that take you through the mind of the designer and a copy of his personal office with books and objects that continue to inspire him.

Paul Smith had a humble beginning as a designer in the suite of a Paris hotel in 1976. Today, he displays no less than fourteen different collections each season, including his men’s collection during Paris fashion week and his women’s collection during London fashion week. Despite this increase in scale over the years, Paul Smith has retained something unique and his personal touch.

This exhibition was curated by the Design Museum London (curator: Donna Loveday), but the Belgian world of Paul Smith was 400 m2 larger than the British original: especially for Modemuseum Hasselt the fashion selection was expanded.

Welcome to the world of Paul Smith.

Project coordinator: Kenneth Ramaekers

Curator: Donna Loveday

Exhibition design: Richard Greenwood Partnership

Graphic design Aboud Creative

Thank you: Paul Smith & Team , Design Museum London.

With thanks to: City of Hasselt, Municipal Executive, non-profit organization Friends of the Fashion Museum, Employees of the Fashion Museum Hasselt, Employees of the Central Workshops of the City of Hasselt,

Volunteers of the non-profit organization Friends of the Fashion Museum

Image Courtesy of Modemuseum, Hasselt, Belgium.