Did that really just happen?

I met Paul Smith today.

It was one of those ‘wow’ moments that I know that I’m going to treasure forever. It was a brilliant day from the beginning, an inspiring morning having a lecture about cool hunting, pouring over trend books and chatting before heading to Mayfair to explore high-end fashion.

The Paul Smith store was on our cool hunting list of course. We ambled through the store taking in the fantastic interior space, use of colour, art, merchandising, furniture and of course the beautiful clothing. Then the amazing part happened. Who stopped by his shop, only Mr Smith himself!

Us cool hunters most definitely lost our cool at that point. He couldn’t have been nicer, showing enthusiasm about our classes and telling us about his stores and work ethos. He was keen for feedback on his current exhibition ‘Hello My Name is Paul Smith’ and took the time to speak those who had visited.

He was inspiring and said that if you respect the people who you work with, then there is no need for stress or unhappiness and that a lot of pressure within the industry comes from people being unprepared.

It was so interesting to see him interact with his staff. He greeted a colleague who was a textile and pattern designer with warmth, putting his words into actions. A old friend of his arrived with two young children who bounded in and hugged Paul. They had been to see his exhibition at the Design Museum and were brimming with excitement.

Paul spoke about the importance of the individuality and personality of each of his stores and it was so nice to hear the stories behind the pieces throughout the store. He had bought one young designers entire collection of intricate flower bouquets made out of silver spoons that adorned the walls and tabletops. He told us about short one day visits to cities across the world to buy things for his stores. He visited Delhi and bought 15 beautiful wardrobes that have all found homes. The wooden slabs that the clothes were arranged on, near where he stood, were 200 years old and shipped from Devon.

He brought us outside the front of the shop to show us the iron facade and stories behind motifs. He let us take pictures and made us feel welcome.

All of the above is why I love London. Designers walk amongst people, you can observe beautiful art and fashion on every corner. It was a special day.