Circles meet stripes meet a passion for design in a harmonious pair of 3D world maps, exclusively created for Kristjana’s debut exhibition at Paul Smith’s popping pink store on Melrose Avenue in 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 II charts Smith’s continuing journey to becoming a renowned fashion designer, which started 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. This map, with its flitting Pacific fish and exotic red coral, honours his movement into the Eastern fashion market; you will find his diverse shop fronts forminga parade along the bottom of the piece, flanked by the Tokyo Sky Tree tower. The majestic flying bicycles reflect his interest in cycling and world travel and oceans are tinted with stripes in radiant, sunny shades, homage to his love of colour, stripes and classic lines.
The essential Britishness of the Paul Smith brand has assured its enduring success. Kristjana sends dignified 3D horse-drawn carriages and a British bulldog driving a Victorian car on a world tour of the map. The ‘Silly Bunny’ sits astride a bike on a nest of pink roses, wearing a traditional Royal Mail cap. Besides 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 have collectors’ eyes, and therefore the piece is richly embellished with curiosities, flowers, jewels and creatures turned out in beautifully tailored clothing. Arctic terns, with the longest migration of any animal, fly high overhead to winter in the Antarctic; their spanning of the globe is testament to the global reach of the Paul Smith brand.
