Paul Smith is proud to announce the opening of its New York flagship on Madison Avenue. Inspired by Sir Paul’s personal home in London’s Holland Park neighbourhood, the two-storey shop presents a residential-meets-retail concept, masterfully executed by one of Britain’s leading independent design companies. The new flagship marks Paul Smith’s arrival on the Upper East Side, nearly four decades since the company established its first shop in New York on Fifth Avenue.
With Paul a master shopkeeper and a passionate believer of “thinking global but acting local”, each Paul Smith shop holds its own character while maintaining a meaningful connection to its location. The Madison Avenue flagship invites guests to step inside what feels like a London townhouse in the heart of Manhattan, an approachable setting where Paul Smith’s world-famous tailoring sits alongside modern wardrobe staples.
From the exterior, a traditional stucco façade is paired with a handcrafted mosaic, created by French artist Alexandra Carron, featuring a needle and thread motif that pays homage to the art of tailoring. Stepping into Paul’s Lobby, octagonal floor tiles are referenced directly from his home’s hallway. Antique furniture and reclaimed wood panelling meet flashes of modern irreverence – a colossal 19th-century draper’s table, once used for measuring fabric is now stacked with hundreds of pairs of Paul Smith signature socks, shoes and accessories with a hand-crafted vintage spoon chandelier glinting overhead.
Home to men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections, Paul’s Study pairs oak panelling with an area rug, its fringe dip-dyed pink, a bespoke, playful finish against a traditionally British backdrop. Vintage walnut library chairs are reupholstered by Paul Smith’s long time textile partner Maharam, celebrating the brand’s Signature Stripes. The mantlepiece holds a collection of postcards and letters Paul has gathered over the years, mirroring the one in his private study at home, with an 18th-century folk art model building sitting at its centre.
Upstairs, customers enter Paul’s Jet Lag Room, a dedicated space for tailoring, occasion wearand Made to Measure services. Echoing Paul’s own sanctuary at home, where he resets after long journeys, the walls are wrapped in natural hessian and hung with paintings from years past, alongside ceramics by contemporary British artist Charlotte Salt. A brutalist side table and tan leather tub chairs create a relaxed, lived-in atmosphere. The second floor is finished with reworked parquet flooring by British craftsmen Parquet Parquet, underfoot a rug from Paul Smith’s latest collaboration with British luxury brand, The Rug Company. Completing the domestic narrative, a faux window offers a glimpse onto Paul’s private garden in Holland Park.
A lifelong connoisseur of the unexpected, Paul has curated the shop as a living archive of artworks, curiosities and custom-made fittings collected over decades. Throughout the space, his unmistakable humour and curiosity reveal themselves in unconventional details: a mirror composed of found dominoes, sculptural bird boxes, cast iron banana shaped door handles and a functional speaking tube linking the Jet Lag Room to the first-floor cash desk. Behind the tills sits the Paul Smith signature gallery wall, an eclectic mix of paintings, photographs and prints, all hand-picked by Paul himself.
