Paul Smith Releases His Cycling Scrapbook

Inspiration to get off your arse and on to a bike (maybe) thanks to Paul Smith’s new book, “Cycling Scrapbook”, celebrating life on two wheels – “the world of cycling presented through the eyes and personal collection of Britain’ s most successful and beloved menswear fashion designer.” Because, when it comes to matters of the bike, Mr Smith certainly knows his stuff. More, unsurprisingly, than our fashion assistant, Dominic, who, during a “nervous” cycling proficiency session rode over his sister’s arm and broke it. Oops. Paul, however, is far more adept, having initially wanted to be a professional cyclist before becoming a designer, choosing instead to indulge his passion by collecting just about every bit of cycling memorabilia under the sun and collating it into this wondrous scrapbook for us all to enjoy. The peak of his cycling love affair climaxed in 2013 when he designed the pink jersey worn by the leader of the Giro D’Italia, which is a very big deal because the press release told us so. And because it was blessed by the Pope. Which seems, well, big. “From his collection of cycling jerseys and his extensive library of cycling publications and brochures of the 1950s and 1960s, to the inspiration he has found in his cycling heroes (Coppi, Anquetil, Bartali) and his collaborations with bike-makers (Mercian and Pinarello) and race organisers,” the press release tells us, “this is a personal and highly visual journey that connects Smith’s love of cycling with his love of design.”