‘the best men i’ve dressed’

sir paul picks three men who he’s proud to have swathed in paul smith

david Bowie

One of my main memories of David was when Pauline and I had dinner with him and Iman and Hanif Kureishi and his wife. When we left, we were walking down the stairs, and David Bowie started singing, ‘The party’s over. I’m going to call it again,’ and Pauline and I were like, ‘That’s David Bowie singing to us!’ It was mind-blowing at the time. He wore Paul Smith in a six- or eight-page shoot for GQ in 1997. There’s a picture of David pointing at me and me looking from behind a white [backdrop].

sheku kanneh-mason

I’ve known Sheku (below) since he was 15. He’s from Nottingham, which is where I’m from. He’s actually played in my shop in Nottingham for about 20 people; one of his early concerts was in my shop. We’ve dressed him more or less since he was 15 – for the Royal Wedding, for the Philharmonia, for the Baftas. He always wears Paul Smith. When we did our women’s tuxedo launch at the Italian embassy in London, his sisters gave a concert.

gary oldman

Gary’s been a customer for years and years. From the pyjamas to the socks and suits, he wears it all. His sons and wife wear Paul Smith. We dressed him for the Baftas, and we had a dinner for him at the penthouse of the Chateau Marmont when he won the Oscar for Darkest Hour. It’s a genuine friendship. I was once asked to photograph him for the Sunday Times

Magazine. Over the years, I used to shoot lots of our campaigns. I’ve done lots over the years. We don’t give Gary a discount. We don’t really do discounts. We don’t give away clothes either. We’re not mean, but once you start you can’t stop. A lot of the designers who give presents, it’s not their own company. The thing about Paul Smith is that it’s Paul Smith’s name on the door. I have to be quite practical.