Continuing on with our fashion inspirations this week is another popular British fashion designer, Sir Paul Smith. He is extremely popular worldwide for his designs, which have been described as 'perfection' where he combines the classy styles with the quirky, and so allows his customers to purchase relatively traditional designs which offer a twist of individuality (hence the popularity). Sir Paul was knighted by the Queen in 2000 after providing almost 30 years' of menswear clothing and being an icon, and he has proved himself to be a complete success and is now a highly respectable figure within the fashion industry.

Sir Paul Smith didn't always dream of becoming a fashion designer; he in fact left school at the age of 15 to pursue a career as a racing cyclist until his father forced him to work in a clothing warehouse. He had no interest in the work, until one day he suffered a terrible cycling accident which put a stop to his ambitions. After a whopping six months in hospital, he met up with some new friends who introduced him to the colourful world of art and designing. After some studying and evening classes, he was spotted by Savile Row chairman Harold Tillman, and his designs were then worn by celebrities including George Best. With some help and using his savings, he opened up his first shop in Nottingham in 1970. Business boomed, and by 1976 he showed his first menswear collection in Paris, and his career really took off as he expanded the retail business. He now has several shops dotted all over the world as well as numerous showrooms.

Despite being well known as a menswear designer, he has also designed womenswear collections which has proved to be just as successful, and more recently he designed the suits worn by the players of both Manchester and Liverpool Football Clubs. He is still today actively involved in his business designing clothes, choosing fabrics, and overseeing every development within the company with no plans to retire- what an inspiration!

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