Sir Paul Smith receives Freedom of the City of London

Sir Paul Smith has received the Freedom of the City of London in recognition of his outstanding contribution to British fashion and design. He attended his ceremony at Guildhall, having been nominated by Sir William Russell, Chair of the Barbican Centre Board and a former Lord Mayor, and by Shravan Joshi, the City Corporation's Lead Member for SME growth.

Sir William said the honour was "tailor-made" for the designer. Sir Paul's business began as a single three-by-three-metre shop in Nottingham and now has a presence across five continents, more than 50 countries and 1,700 points of distribution. In 2020 he launched Paul Smith's Foundation to mark 50 years in business. It runs business mentoring programmes for emerging creative talent in fashion and art, with partners including the City of London Corporation, PROJEKT, the Mayor of London and Winsor & Newton.

Sir Paul said it was "truly wonderful" to receive the honour. He recalled opening his shop on Floral Street in Covent Garden in 1979 and said London had been an important part of his life ever since. City of London Corporation Policy Chairman Chris Hayward said Sir Paul had built a strong international reputation and made a significant contribution to British fashion and the UK economy.

The Freedom is one of the City's ancient traditions. It is believed to have begun in 1237 and enabled recipients to carry out their trade.