Paul Smith to unveil rock ‘n’ roll-themed collection at London’s Fashion Week

Paul Smith to unveil rock-themed collection in UK

LONDON — Rock ‘n’ roll fanatic Paul Smith says he’s drawing on the spirit of Jimi Hendrix for a dark and rich spring-summer show, one of the highlights of London’s Fashion Week.

Smith got his start in fashion hawking T-shirts at concerts and has since turned into a menswear icon, managing 12 different collections and a chain of retail outlets across the world — including more than 200 stores in Japan.

The 54-year-old’s womenswear show is a fixture of the British capital’s five-day fashion extravaganza, which is still due to see collections from Burberry’s Christopher Bailey, Jonathan Saunders, Stella McCartney and Scottish style icon Pringle.

Smith has said that Monday’s collection will be inspired by men’s shirts, music, “and a painting sent to me by a fan.”