Circles meet stripes meet a passion for design in this harmonious pair of 3D world maps, created exclusively for Kristjana’s debut exhibition at Paul Smith’s popping pink store on Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles. Side by side, they depict a full map of the world, but work equally well as sophisticated pieces in their own right.
Hringlaga Paul Smith I charts the beginnings of Smith’s journey as a designer, starting in the British city of Nottingham. Growing up, the young Paul had dreams of being a cyclist but a serious bike accident at 17 meant he had to reshape his dreams, and he turned his focus to tailoring. From a tiny store in Nottingham, his talent rode him all the way to global success. The magnificent flying bicycle setting sail from UK shores epitomises Paul’s gifts of hope and aiming high. Oceans are tinted with stripes in zesty, pastel shades; a homage to Paul Smith’s love of colour, stripes and classic lines.
The essential Britishness of the Paul Smith brand, including his admiration for traditional uniforms, is illustrated by the red fox donning a top hat and a Victorian reproduction of his striped car, zipping between his London stores.
You’ll find a ‘Silly Bunny’, perched on a rooftop, balancing a tottering tower of tea cups between his ears... Besides this being a quirky British phrase, Paul has an inordinate collection of toy rabbits sent to him for good luck by fans which he keeps in the basement of his London Office, in a space he refers to as his ‘Department of Silly’. Both Kristjana and Paul are fellow magpies, drawn to historical curiosities and tantilising objects. The underbelly of this circular piece is set alight by five glittering diamonds.
Kristjana’s trademark fascination with the artistry of nature is evident in exquisite details of fauna. The fanning tail of a guppy fish, the decisive curl of a hermit crab shell and the graceful migration of a colossal blue whale. Picking a path across the walkway of Tower Bridge, towards Paul Smith’s Flagship Albemarle Street store, is the iconically striped zebra and ushing forth under its gaze is the shocking pink outline of Paul Smith’s Melrose Avenue Store.
