Paul Smith doubles down on British craft with new capsule
From Welsh sock makers to East London workshops
Paul Smith is framing Made in British Isles as more than a one-off. The pitch is simple. Back the people who’ve been doing it properly all along.
That means working with manufacturers who’ve been honing the same techniques for decades, in some cases more than a century. From Corgi Hosiery in South Wales to White Label London in East London, the collection leans on makers with a serious pedigree rather than just a nice postcode.
The outerwear is a good place to start. It’s cut and sewn by White Label London using fabric from Halley Stevensons Baltic Works, one of Scotland’s oldest cloth mills. The hooded jacket, likely to be one of the standouts, uses traditional waxed cotton originally designed to deal with exactly the kind of chaotic British weather we get every spring. The mac, meanwhile, goes heavier with a dense herringbone that’s built to last rather than fall apart after a couple of seasons.
Further up the M1, Corah Textiles handles the knitwear, which feels like a deliberate nod back to the brand’s Nottingham roots. Expect responsibly sourced wool and cotton, classic construction, and just enough of that signature Paul Smith colour to stop things feeling too worthy.
Then there’s Corgi, which has been making socks since 1892, originally for Welsh coal miners and now, officially, for royalty. Every pair here is hand-framed and hand-finished using natural yarns like wool, cotton and cashmere. Proper old-school craft, basically.
The bigger idea is continuity. This isn’t being pitched as a heritage flex for one season, but something the brand wants to build on going forward. As co-design director, Helen Holmes puts it, the aim is to create “timeless pieces” rooted in British fabrics, craft and local manufacturing.
In practice, that translates to a Spring 2026 lineup that’s quietly utilitarian. Think weather-ready jackets, breathable knitwear and everyday staples that can handle the reality of a British spring, which usually means sun, rain and wind all before lunch.
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