With Paul Smith being a young spirited brand. “I’m very curious and being childlike is vital for our industry” –Paul Smith. This collaboration has been produced to embrace the so-called ‘wasted youth’ of the twenty-first century. Finding a celebrity to best represent it? Who else other than the English rock band, from Manchester, The 1975. The 1975 are well known for their style; basic, black and androgynous. If you are aware of their music and lyrics, it could be said that there is a juxtaposition between their style and their music. Aspects of the 90’s grunge, the 60’s greasers and even dating back to the 1950’s teddy boys can be seen within their unique style. Similarly, hints of this combined with traditional British tailoring can also be seen within the brand Paul Smith.
The 1975’s lyrics can be viewed as somewhat controversial. With their regular references to drugs, sex and rebellion. Matty (lead vocalist and guitarist) refers to himself as a “sycophantic, prophetic, socratic, junkie wannabe”. The ‘wannabe’ at the ends shows how perhaps he is living this idealised, rebellious lifestyle. Which on the surface, is portrayed through their music. The band have a clever way with words. Using words and phrases with double meanings. A key example of this would be the song ‘Chocolate’. On the surface, this song sounds innocent. However if you dig deeper into it, you will find that chocolate is in fact a euphemism for marijuana. Their references aren’t always direct, which still makes a lot of their music deemed ‘appropriate’. Matty described the song “a love letter to the authority figures in out town”. And then goes on to mention the ”boredom, both by the kids and by the police”. The message which Matty is trying to portray could be how the youth are bored. How drugs have almost become a hobby… a pass timer. And in reverse, the contrasting views the youth and the police have on this subject. The youth thinking the police have nothing better to do than catch people for drugs in a small town with not much going on, and the police not having any serious crimes in such a small town therefore devoting their time to drugs. There is an ongoing sense of irony within a lot of their music.
Paul Smith is all about breaking boundaries. Paul Smith influenced men’s fashion. Introducing many new ideas which now seem the norm, to a not so liberal society. Creativity is vital. A lot has changed since Paul Smith was founded to today. Fashion is now much more expressive with little boundaries. Gender stereotypes are almost becoming irrelevant. It’s now acceptable, if anything, on trend for men to wear pink. Women now wear suits. A lot of progress has been made. This progress, at the end of the day, stems from the younger generations. The youth is the future. Which is why this collection has been specifically aimed at this demographic.
The 1975 will be teaming up with Paul Smith, this summer to bring a new energy to the brand. The only way to truly know a demographic is to work with them. This summer, The 1975 will bring a whole knew edge to Paul Smith with something you’ve never seen before.
'This handbook includes photography inspired by the collection. I hope that you
enjoy this collaboration as much as I enjoyed working with it'.
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