The Doctor Who, The Crown and House of Dragon star was a natural fit for the British brand and recently joined Paul at his SS24 Paris men’s show in June as a VIP.
Inspired by the simplicity of black and white Paul Smith campaigns from the 1990s, the AW23 campaign features Matt Smith wears classic Paul Smith tailoring – including the designer’s well-known A Suit To Travel In as well as an archive-inspired suit – outerwear and knitwear from the new collection. Pops of colour, meanwhile, come in the form of the iconic Signature Stripe and a blue backdrop. Playing on their shared last name, Paul himself also makes an appearance in the campaign alongside Matt, in a shot designed to replicate one from Paul Smith’s Spring/Summer 1994 campaign.
[The accompanying film starring Matt explores the nature of the actor’s profession, nodding to the role of creating a character on screen versus his off-screen persona.]
The complementary womenswear campaign, featuring Dutch model Kiki Willems, was inspired by the same source material – with a focus on day-to-night dressing and modern tailoring. The AW23 collection, which made its debut at Paris Fashion Week in January, is inspired by the work of modernist designers and architecture and offered new interpretations of tailoring alongside a contemporary take on heritage fabrics.
Matt says:
“Paul Smith has provided classic, inventive, and colourful tailoring for years. At its heart is the brilliant legend that is Paul Smith himself. To work with him and get to know him personally has been a complete honour. He continues to push boundaries in life and art making Paul Smith a consistently iconic British brand. Not to mention utterly stylish.”
Paul says:
“I’m beyond excited to be working with Matt for the next two seasons – he’s the perfect fit for Paul Smith. He’s also one of those people who really embodies effortlessness, both in terms of his on-screen characters and his off-screen sense of style. And, of course, It doesn’t hurt that he looks excellent in a suit.”
