Paul Smith keeps the Hawaiian shirt alive
Paul Smith looks to the ocean for its latest collection with a black and white campaign featuring Polish model Malgosia Bela and Ben Allen.
The South of France was a key reference for the campaign, with neon signs, a seascape background and sandy beach floors combining to create images that have the characteristic irreverent spirit that Paul Smith is known for.
Black and white imagery features in a Paul Smith campaign for the first time in many years. As a designer known for his confident use of color, the decision to present primarily black and white images, with an injection of color to highlight key pieces, is both bold and modern.
Accents of color are used sparingly throughout the campaign to highlight the Ocean print, which is central to the theme of the collection. The print is a bright and optimistic take on the classic Hawaiian shirt motif and evokes a faded 1950s surfer theme, mixing a collage of vibrant florals, undersea coral and Japanese koi carp. Key Ocean products that feature the campaign include short-sleeved shirts and outerwear for men, and dresses and trousers for women.
Further developing the aquatic theme, a graphic tuna fish motif, which features on men’s shirts and women’s bags, is inspired by Paul’s many visits to the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. From this print, a tuna is recreated in neon signage to cap off a visually surprising and fun approach to the season.
In the Philippines, Paul Smith is at the ground floor of Greenbelt 5.