1. INNOVATION AND CHANGE FOR PAUL SMITH 1
Quincy I. Carter
Managing Change and Innovation in the
Fashion Business
University of Westminster
MA Fashion Business Management

2. INNOVATION AND CHANGE OF PAUL SMITH 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction……………………………………….……...………… pg.3-4
Objective I: Year One: Hiring Of Assistant Creative Director, A Web Designer, And
Skilled Social Media Expert…………………………………….………… pg.4-5
Objective II: Year One –Three: Introduction Of Pre-Season Collection, From Runway
To Consumer, And “Buyers Club”……………….……………………… pg. 5-6
Objective III: Year Ten And Beyond: The Future Of Paul Smith In Sustainability And
Digital Enhancements………………………………..………………... pg. 6-8
Conclusion…………………………………………………………… pg. 8
References…………………………………………………………… pg. 9

3. INNOVATION AND CHANGE FOR PAUL SMITH 3
INTRODUCTION:
Innovation and change can be found in various aspects of the Fashion Industry.
Depending on where a company may see its future, the innovation and/or change can be
either a good thing or bad thing. There is a sense of diversity in the various types of
innovation that a company can look into in order to have a successful future. Some may
say that the innovation comes from the products or the services rendered. On the other
side of the argument some may think innovation comes from marketing and or business
models. However, the aforementioned types of innovation along with a wide array of
other methods of innovation can be said to be a sure way to have a successful future, and
grant companies the ability to compete with their competitors and do remotely as well as
they do.
One company that could benefit from a few types of innovation would be Paul
Smith. According to a recent annual report Smith’s company has an annual global
turnover of £404 Million. With Paul Smith locations in the United Kingdom, Europe,
North America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa it is evident that Smith has taken
the Fashion world by storm in his globalization. Alongside brands such as Ted Baker,
Simon Carter, and Ralph Lauren, Paul Smith’s competitors have in their own right
crafted goods that are not only on the same level as Smith’s but with other unique selling
points that put them above Paul Smith in some ways. Smith has a wide variety of
products that he produces from men’s suits to women’s suits, and accessories that include
shoes, scarves and hats just to name a few with a price range from £8 to £1300. The
employees of the Paul Smith brand have a high level of customer service, excellent
product knowledge and are well dressed in Paul Smith attire. Amongst the extensive
events that Smith’s company host every year he also promotes the company with things
such as Hello My Name is Paul Smith!, Children in Need Rocks, and Walter Hugo.
Lastly, Smith’s company does a very exclusive packaging after moving away from the
contemporary multi stripes to a classier Black casing. It is known that the company uses
Linkx pack kit for more efficient packaging and about 900 cases are sold per day.
Although, Smith has proved himself to be a world-class designer, his company
lacks in many different ways the ability to be innovative and change for the better. To
begin with, Smith’s first issue is that the company has not fully come into the digital age.
In addition, the competitors of Smith have made great strides to introduce things such as
pre-season collections, diffusion lines and even the use of a technology in and out of store
for an enhanced experience. Moreover, with such a weak brand positioning, if Smith had
a firm stance on where he wanted to company to go in the future it would give him time
to prepare adequately for what might happen.
In order to implement a new system of innovation for Paul Smith, a plan has
derived from his competitors along with new ways to help in the innovative change of
Paul Smith. The planned innovation and changes of Paul Smith are to be applied over a
course of a ten-year time period. In year one Smith should hire an assistant creative
director, a web designer, along with an individual who is an expert when it comes to
handling social media. During year one through three Smith should introduce Pre-season
collections along with the ability to shop for looks from the runway. In years one through
three Smith will also implement a “Buyers Club” for his various clothing and accessory
lines. Finally in the ten-year plan, beginning with year one, with the newly hired

4. INNOVATION AND CHANGE OF PAUL SMITH 4
Assistant Creative Director Smith and his entire creative team should introduce a more
sustainable future for the Paul Smith brand along with the in store experience of digital
mirrors to see what items look like on the body. In association with the ability to see how
garments look on the body Smith’s company should also grant consumers the capability
to create garments from start to finish. With the above stated innovation plans Paul Smith
is headed into a bright future in regards to the innovation and change along with bringing
Smith into the new age of fashion.
OBEJECTIVE I:
YEAR ONE: HIRING OF ASSISTANT CREATIVE
DIRECTOR, A WEB DESIGNER, AND SKILLED SOCIAL
MEDIA EXPERT
The first year of Paul Smith’s innovation should consist of finding an Assistant
Creative Director, an expert web designer and a social media expert. The role of the
expert web designer and social media expert are imperative because it will bring Smith’s
company into the digital age so that his quirky, fun brand image that is represented in his
stores and in his collections are displayed on his social media sites and website. The
importance of the assistant creative director is to work hand in hand with Smith not only
on regular season garments but also on a diffusion line and pre- season collections. With
the above stated information it will help Smith in coming into the digital age of Fashion.
According to Dictionary.com a web designer can be defined as a person who
plans, designs, creates, and often maintains websites for various professions and
businesses (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/web+designer). In the first year, the
new web designer will be in charge of completely redoing the Paul Smith website so that
what people see in stores matches exactly what is on line and vice versa. On the web
design team however, there will be a photography and editor along with Paul Smith to
keep the website completely updated at all times with all of the companies photos of
events, upcoming designs, inspiration for upcoming collections, model fittings and even
design collaborations that might help in the advancement of Paul Smith’s brand.
Working alongside with the web designer, the company should hire an individual
who knows social media well. This individual should know their way around Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Pinterest. Knowing their way around these social media
sites would give the company the upper hand on knowing what might come next in the
social media world and help them to capitalize on how to do the next best thing in regards
to promotion, products and even packaging. Facebook and Twitter can really help the
company when it comes to promotions because they give people the ability to talk to
other people via messages and the partnership Facebook has with Skype they can host
interactive conversation with consumers in regards to what’s next for Paul Smith and
even introduce the various people behind the success of the company. Instagram should
constantly be updated with images of inspiration and new products and should also be
used as a promotional tool to get customers to shop there often. However, with all of the
social media sites, if an image is uploaded to something like Instagram once the accounts
are linked whatever the individual post will be posted on all other social media sites it is
linked to.

5. INNOVATION AND CHANGE FOR PAUL SMITH 5
The final thing for the one-year plan is to hire an assistant creative director. This
person will be in charge of creating the new diffusion line that is geared towards
individual’s age’s 18- 25. Paul Smiths current target market consists of men and women
who are between the ages of 25-50. These people have jobs that pay at least £50000 a
year because of the prices of Smith’s products they are fashion forward and have a
unique sense of style. Aside from being fashion forward and having a unique sense of
style, the consumer has an appreciation for quality goods, they’re stylish and prefer to be
simple yet fashionable. With developing this diffusion line this person should introduce
the same quirky fun feeling of Paul Smith into something younger and less expensive so
that consumers in that age bracket can afford the goods that have been created.
OBJECTIVE II:
YEAR ONE –THREE: INTRODUCTION OF PRE-SEASON
COLLECTION, FROM RUNWAY TO CONSUMER, AND
“BUYERS CLUB”
In years one through three Smith’s company should begin to introduce pre-
seasonal collections for winter, spring, summer and fall. Concurrently with the
introduction of pre- season collections they should also introduce “From Runway to
Consumer”, which might help in the further expansion of the Paul Smith brand, into the
new age of fashion. Finally, in years one through three the company should start the
“Buyers Club” that is in conjunction with “From Runway to Consumer”. These
innovations from years one through three will solidify the already expanding business of
the Paul Smith brand and prepare it for a future in the world of sustainable fashion.
A plethora of designers in the fashion industry have already drawn consumers in
by producing pre-season collections that display what to look forward to for the
upcoming season. For example, from the year of 2011 and forward the Alexander
McQueen brand began to produce pre-season collections in order to prepare their
customers for the exquisite designs for his regular season collections. According to an
article by Harriet Walker from The Independent, she says, “Pre-collections' used to be the
preserve of women who wintered abroad. Now, the clothes that arrive between seasons
have become one of fashion's biggest successes”, (http://www.independent.co.uk/life-
style/fashion/features/precollections-ahead-of-the-curve-6261721.html). Such a quote
goes to show that companies that produce pre-season collections are ahead of the curve.
Due to the fact that this article was published in the year 2011, Smith’s company is way
behind in the development of such innovations, acting now on pre-season collections
should still help with the overall brand image and bringing Paul Smith into today’s world
of Fashion.
The second portion of this plan for years one through three is the beginning of
“From Runway to Consumer”. With a program like this, it gives the loyal customers of
Paul Smith an opportunity to live stream the Paul Smith fashion shows, an invite to the
“Children in need Rocks” along with exclusive offers for various items from Paul Smith.
The most important part about this program is that consumers will get a first look at pre-
season collections along with regular season collection and the ability to purchase goods

6. INNOVATION AND CHANGE OF PAUL SMITH 6
from those collections. By doing so the loyal customers will act as promotional tools for
the brand all while wearing and purchasing quality goods. With the introduction of
“From Runway to Consumer”, it is really vital in further developing the Paul Smith
brand.
The final phase of years one through three is the implementation of the “Buyers
Club”. This club is solely for loyal consumers who own authentic Paul Smith goods. The
Buyers Club will act as an intermediary for “From Runway to Consumer” to bridge the
gap between all aspects of the aforementioned brand. The reason for the “Buyers Club”
is to allow consumers to take old Paul Smith garments and goods and send them back to
the company, and receive a fraction of the original price paid at Paul Smith for the old
distressed item for the goods to be recycled. All goods that will be sent back will be
recycled and the material used to create new products. The purpose for recycling these
garments is to help in the ten-year plan of creating a more sustainable future for the Paul
Smith brand. By starting this now it will help in cutting cost, but will increase the
competition across the board in the Fashion Industry due to so many high-end retailers
applying sustainability to their supply chain. Another upside to creating the “Buyers
Club” is to raise awareness of knowing that a well known brand such as Paul Smith who
has hired an assistant creative director, a web designer, a social media expert, created pre-
season collections and a diffusion line, and introduced “From Runway to Consumer” has
taken their consumers into consideration and is looking to expand on its already
expanded brand all by choosing to become more sustainable.
OBJECTIVE III:
YEAR TEN AND BEYOND: THE FUTURE OF PAUL
SMITH IN SUSTAINABILITY AND DIGITAL
ENHANCEMENTS
In todays ever-growing fashion industry, companies are looking for a more
responsible ways of enhancing their companies image. One great way to improve a
company and to have a positive impact on the environment is to become more
sustainable. In the ten-year plan, and in the long run for the brand it is proposed that Paul
Smith begins to make the company more sustainable with programs like the “Buyers
Club”. Along with using the buyers club the use of “From Runway to Consumer” will
also serve as a way of introducing sustainability into the supply chain of the Paul Smith
brand. Other than making the company more sustainable Smith’s company should
announce the use of various digital equipment in stores and online.
The term SUSTAINABILITY in the dictionary is defined as the quality of not
being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting
long-term ecological balance
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sustainability+?s=t). Numerous designers in the
fashion industry have chosen to take this stance when it comes to their company.
Although a company may not produce the same products as another being sustainable is
an entirely new competition in itself. Some companies that may act as competitors in
regards to sustainability would be Nike, Christopher Raeburn, and H&M.

7. INNOVATION AND CHANGE FOR PAUL SMITH 7
Firstly, is the every expanding Nike Brand. One of the pioneers for sustainability
Nike has influenced so many other brands to join in the world of sustainability.
According to (http://www.nikeresponsibility.com/report/content/chapter/our-
sustainability-strategy) Nike says that…
“Sustainability used to be the exclusive domain of experts, activists and idealists.
Then, it moved into a silo at the outskirts of the corporate landscape. Today, it is
seenas an important, well-integrated part of any forward-thinking company – as
one of the key drivers of success. At NIKE, Inc., we are exploring new sustainable
business models to prepare us for a fundamentally different operating environment.
To do this, we must deftly navigate a quickly changing landscape.”
This is the exact reason why Nike can be considered one of the pioneers of the world of
innovation in sustainability.
Another pioneer in the Fashion Industry who has helped bring sustainability to the
forefront would be a designer who has metaphorically speaking, taken the “sustainable
bull by the horns” is Christopher Raeburn. Raeburn’s educational background includes
Bachelors from Middlesex University in Fashion/Apparel Design, then proceeding to the
Royal College of Art to obtain his Masters in Womenswear. It is stated that Raeburn uses
recycled military fabric to create his interpretation of eco friendly clothing. In an
interview with the British Fashion Council Raeburn commented and said “The ‘Remade’
ethos will always lie at the heart of the brand and as we grow and develop it remains the
foundation of our work, reminding us to always be resourceful and experimental”
(http://www.britishfashioncouncil.co.uk/designer_profile.aspx?DesignerID=1136)
Raeburn exudes the passion and endless possibilities of sustainable fashion. He
has managed to create a face for it, that is both fun yet innovative, showing his
competitors that not only is he a talented artist but also aware of the positive effects that
sustainable fashion has on the industry and how everyone should begin to include it into
their companies.
The final portion to this sustainable puzzle would be H&M. This fashion retail
powerhouse has been creating sustainable goods for quite some time. H&M says that
their vision is that all their operations should be run in a way that is economically,
socially and environmentally sustainable. To help them achieve this vision, they have set
seven ambitious commitments. The seven ambitious commitments are, to provide fashion
for conscious customers, choose and reward responsible partners, be ethical, be climate
smart, reduce, reuse, recycle, use natural resources responsibly and strengthen
communities. For each commitment, there is hundreds of what they call Conscious
Actions - big and small, short and long-term – that work to put these commitments into
practice. This idea that H&M has is something that in the long run could others.
(http://about.hm.com/en/About/Sustainability/HMConscious/Aboutconscious.html)
With the above-mentioned sustainable retailers being excellent at sustainability it
can be said that Paul Smith can take a hint of advice from companies such as Nike,
Christopher Raeburn and H&M. These companies have excelled in the being innovative
when it comes to being sustainable and have encouraged so many other brands to do the
same thing. If Smith’s company adapts some of the same models as Nike, Raeburn and
H&M then they will be geared for a bright sustainable future.

8. INNOVATION AND CHANGE OF PAUL SMITH 8
The final percentage for the ten-year plan and beyond is to introduce
digital equipment into the brand. The first thing that Smith’s company should do in
regards to digitizing the brand is something that a high end brand like Burberry and a
more custom brand like CAD and the Dandy have done, and that is to present to their
consumers the ability to create garments from start to finish. Burberry gives their
customer the capability to create their own trench coat and customize it the way they
want. CAD and the Dandy on the other hand is a company that offers their customers an
exceeding amount of options when it comes to their suits. Once a customer goes on to the
site they are allowed to create a suit, two or three pieces, vest, pants, morning coats, and a
wide array of other products. Once the consumer has created the product they can
schedule an appointment to actually go to a location for a fitting session which makes the
service they offer outstanding and should make a plethora of other retailers that do the
same thing want to step up to their level so that more customers can be satisfied with the
service.
The other side to digitizing Paul Smith is to acquire DIGITAL MIRRORS. These
mirrors are designed to show how garments look on the body. The special mirrors allow
the consumer to choose what color they want the garment in, from options in which the
garment is already created in and size of the garment. The mirror is being called the
INTERACTIVE FITTING MIRROR and does exactly what is stated above
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLBPhh01yiY) If Paul Smith could obtain these
mirrors for his stores it would be an easier way for people to shop. The other upside to
having these digital mirrors is that people who are apart of “From Runway to
Consumer” can use them to test out the new pre- season and regular season collections.
CONCLUSION:
In supposition, in order to have a positive implementation of innovation and
change for the Paul Smith brand some extreme changes must be made. Initially, Smith
should hire an assistant creative director, a web designer, along with an individual who is
an expert when it comes to handling social media. Furthermore, during years one through
three Smith should introduce Pre-season collections along with the ability to shop for
looks from the runway. Also in years one through three, Smith should also implement a
“buyers club” for his various clothing and accessory lines. Ultimately, the ten-year plan
should allow the newly hired Assistant Creative Director, Smith and his entire creative to
introduce a more sustainable future for the Paul Smith brand along with the in store
experience of digital mirrors to see what items look like on the body. In association with
the ability to see how garments look on the body Smith’s company will also grant
consumers the capability to create garments from start to finish. These types of
innovations have helped other brands tremendously and if implemented properly it will
also help the Paul Smith Brand.

9. INNOVATION AND CHANGE FOR PAUL SMITH 9
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