Paul Smith store to open at London’s King’s Cross

The King’s Cross Partnership and Paul Smith have announced that the British designer will open a new store at Coal Drops Yard, the Heatherwick Studio-designed shopping quarter in London’s King’s Cross, in October 2018, as part of the brand’s global expansion plans.

Commenting on the new store set to open in London, Paul Smith said: “As a man who’s travelled in and out of King’s Cross and St Pancras for many years and seen it change from a very run-down and sad area to become a vibrant and beautifully restored part of the city, it’s with great excitement that I’m opening a new shop there later in the year.”

Following the tradition of giving an exclusive touch to his every store, Paul Smith’s in-house team of architects will work on this new store as well reflecting its surroundings. The shop design at Coal Drops Yard, the company said in a statement, will be a juxtaposition of modern features with the listed architecture where the vaulted brick ceiling and walls will be retained. A room for men’s suiting will be covered in thousands of Japanese 1 yen coins, hinting at Smith’s long-standing relationship with Japan. Linking the rear room to the women’s room will be a blue tunnel with a rubberised playground floor.

The rear room will reflect his history as a shopkeeper in Nottingham when he would change his shop stock regularly, bringing back unusual objects such as toys from his travels around the world. This space, the company added, will feature a rotation of store concepts, from the exclusive Japanese Red Ear collection, to product launches linked with events in the city such as Design Week and Frieze, creating a contemporary version of a local shop.

Picture credit: Paul Smith website