Paul Smith '09 limited edition

Sir Paul Smith is a fan of Rhodia!
In a small Rhodia pad he never parts with, Paul Smith notes at any time of day whatever affects him, moves him, amuses him. From a situation, an object, a detail on a piece of clothing, even from a phrase, he draws a thread that feeds his overflowing creativity. ‘You can find inspiration in everything and if you can't, look again', says the English fashion designer (éditions Violette), one of the fashion designers most in vogue at the beginning of the 21^st century who, thanks to his success with twenty-eight shops throughout the world with 600 employees, has been awarded the title Sir.

Throughout the world, he offers his clothes "with a twist' in his own shops or in highly selective points of sale. After the success of the first collection signed Paul Smith which came out in 2005, Paul Smith celebrated 75 years of his fetish pad by signing a new Limited Series where his fancy and his particularly English sense of style led him: on the famous card marked Rhodia orange or black, a true support for the fashion designer's creation, his falsely naïve pencil sketches, underlined with his emblematic stripes.

Paul Smith's stripes? "They convey freedom, youth, humour. You can like them fresh, reminiscent of the sea or downright pop. In any case, they are never neutral.'

Paul Smith Limited Edition for Rhodia ‘09:

• two versions: on a card printed Rhodia orange or Rhodia black
• four visuals: 'Picture Frame', 'Photographer', 'Man Reading' and 'Camera'
• three formats: N°16 (14.8x21cm), N°12 ( 8.5x12 cm) and N°11 (7.4x10.5 cm).

«I tried to draw sketches that had a sense of fun and also a relevance in some way to me - the drawings are simple, child like the type of work you would find in a sketch book. I always carry a camera with me and use it as a visual diary everyday along with my Rhodia notebook. They are the 2 things I am never without. The old fashioned camera is based on a camera my father used to use. He was an avid amateur photographer and especially liked to take photographs of still life. I am a big collector of art and photography and so the picture frame is very much part of my everyday life and that is why I used this image. A lot of people today use the internet for getting information about what is happening in the world and news events, but I still enjoy reading a newspaper with my coffee in the morning.» Paul Smith