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Name	Paul Smith
Nationality	British
Birth date	July 05, 1946
Birth place	Beeston, Nottinghamshire
Label name	Paul Smith

Sir Paul Smith, CBE, RDI, (born in Beeston, Nottinghamshire on 5 July 1946) is an English fashion designer, whose business and reputation is founded upon his menswear. He is both commercially successful and highly respected within the fashion industry.

Smith was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000, after nearly three decades as a menswear icon. His collections of clothing and accessories for both men and women are usually identified by the presence of Smith's multistripe signature somewhere on each item.

Career

Paul Smith left school at the age of 15, a member of Beeston Road Club his only ambition was to become a racing cyclist until his father hauled him off to work at a clothing warehouse. Smith had no real interest in his work during his first two years there except for the cycle journey to and from his home. A terrible cycling accident put an end to his cycling ambitions, and it was only then that Smith's career in fashion design began.He enjoyed his job and had forgotten everything about cycling. Six months in hospital followed and during this time Smith made some new friends. After leaving hospital he arranged to meet them all at a local pub that was popular with art students. It was then that Paul Smith knew he wanted to be part of this colourful world of ideas and excitement.

Paul Smith started to take evening classes for tailoring with Gordon Valentine Tipton in Nottinghamsire who showed him how to cut cloth as well as the basics. Later on Paul Smith joined Lincroft Kilgour in Savile Row after being spotted by chairman Harold Tillman, where his designs were worn by celebrities including footballer George Best. With the help of his then girlfriend (now wife) Pauline Denyer, who was an RCA fashion graduate, and a small amount of savings, he managed to open his first shop 10 Byard Lane, Nottingham in 1970. By 1976 Paul showed his first menswear collection in Paris, under the Paul Smith label. He gradually expanded the retail business, being the first fashion brand to open on Floral Street in London's Covent Garden in 1979, where his shop offered an eclectic combination of clothes and 'finds' for men which reflected his own magpie personality.

The international growth of his business began and most famously in Japan, where his British designs have been particularly popular, while he expanded into three adjacent stores on Floral Street. A converted town-house in Notting Hill, London opened in 1998 and is now his flagship shop, with the company's operational heart remaining between Nottingham and London. In 1998 Paul showed his first women's collection at London Fashion Week, the women's mainline collection continues to this day.

Since 2007, Smith has opened shops in Dubai, Bangalore, Leeds, Antwerp, Los Angeles and another shop in London, in addition to a brand new warehouse building in Nottingham.

Paul Smith remains fully involved in the business, designing clothes, choosing fabrics, approving the shop locations and overseeing every development within the company. He has showrooms in London, Paris, Milan, New York and Tokyo. At the moment he is working to design the London Olympics posters and signs.

The success of Smiths busines may be attributed to his understanding of his dual roles of both designer and retailer; the success of his designs to his combination of the classic and the quirky. and which allows men to buy relatively traditional (and hence commercially popular) designs that offer a 'twist' of individuality. In September 2010 Smith opened his first standalone womenswear store in Mayfair, London.

Partnerships and other business pursuits

In 2007, Smith began working with the UK based boutique cycle clothing retailer, Rapha. Smith designed a range of cycle clothing in association with Rapha, including a jersey to celebrate the rare start of the Tour de France in London.

Since May 2008 Paul Smith has written a fashion blog for Vogue.co.uk.

Paul Smith provided suits for the Manchester United team in 2009.

In 2011, Paul Smith redesigned the Lasonic i931 boombox, giving it a white look with Smith's trademark multicolor look.

Collections

Today there are 12 different collections; Paul Smith, Paul Smith Women, PS by Paul Smith, Paul Smith Jeans, Paul Smith London, R.Newbold (Japan only), Paul Smith Accessories, Paul Smith Shoes, Paul Smith Fragrance, Paul Smith Watches, Paul Smith Pens and Paul Smith furniture and ‘things’; Paul Smith rugs, china, spectacles and fragrance are made under license. Designed in Nottingham and London, the Paul Smith collections are primarily produced in England and Italy while the fabrics used are mainly of Italian, French and British origin. In 2002 Paul Smith collaborated with Cappellini to create the Mondo collection of furniture inspired by observation and travel. In 2003 Paul designed an upholstery textile in partnership with Maharam, called ‘Bespoke’, which was inspired by classic pinstripe suiting.

References

External links

Official website

Paul Smith's blog on Vogue UK

Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:High fashion brands Category:English fashion designers Category:Businesspeople in fashion Category:People from Beeston, Nottinghamshire Category:Alumni of the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design Category:Alumni of the University of the Arts Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Suit makers

de:Paul Smith (Designer) fr:Paul Smith (couturier) it:Paul Smith (stilista) ja:ポール・スミス ru:Смит, Пол (дизайнер) fi:Paul Smith

Birth date	October 31, 1943
Birth place	Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Death date	June 16, 1970
College	Wake Forest
Position	Running back
Height ft	6
Height in	0
Weight lbs	206|Career HighlightsY
Retired #s	Chicago Bears #41
Years	1965-1969
Teams	Chicago Bears
Stats	Y
Databasefootball	PICCOBRI01
Pfr	PiccBr00}}

Louis Brian Piccolo (October 31, 1943 – June 16, 1970) was a professional football player for the Chicago Bears for four years. He died from embryonal cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of germ cell testicular cancer, first diagnosed after it had spread to his chest cavity. He was the subject of the 1971 TV movie ''Brian's Song'', with a remake (of the same title) TV movie filmed in 2001. Piccolo was portrayed in the original film by James Caan and by Sean Maher in the 2001 remake.

Early life

Brian Piccolo – the youngest of three sons – was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts to Joseph and Irene (1909-2011) Piccolo. The family moved south to Fort Lauderdale, Florida when Piccolo was twelve, due to his parents' concerns for his brother Don's health. Piccolo and his brothers were athletes and Brian Piccolo was a star running back on his high school football team, but considered baseball his primary sport. He graduated from the former Central Catholic High School (now St. Thomas Aquinas High School) in Fort Lauderdale in 1961.

Piccolo played college football at Wake Forest; his only other scholarship offer was from Wichita State. He led the nation in rushing and scoring during his senior season in 1964 and was named the ACC Player of the Year, yet went unselected in the 1965 NFL Draft.

In 1963 Darryl Hill of the University of Maryland was the first and only African-American football player in the Atlantic Coast Conference. According to Lee Corso, who was an assistant coach at Maryland at that time, Wake Forest had the "worst atmosphere" of any place the Maryland football team played. Piccolo went over to the Maryland bench, walked Hill over to the area in front of the student section, and put his arm around him, silencing the crowd.

Following his senior season, Brian Piccolo married his high school sweetheart, Joy Murrath, on December 26, 1964. They had three daughters: Lori, Traci, and Kristi Piccolo.

NFL career

Because he was not selected in the 1965 NFL Draft, Piccolo tried out for the Chicago Bears as a free agent. He made the team for the 1965 season, but only earned a spot on the taxi squad, better known today as the practice squad, meaning he could practice but not suit up for games. In 1966, Piccolo was on the main roster but played primarily on special teams. By 1967, his playing time increased as a back-up to starting tailback Gale Sayers, and in 1969, he was moved up to starting fullback, with Sayers as the tailback.

At the time, the players were segregated by race for hotel room assignments. At the suggestion of the team's captain, the policy was changed and each of the players were re-assigned based on position, such that wide receivers would room together, quarterbacks would room together, etc. The running back position was the only one where one player was black (Sayers) and one player was white (Piccolo).

Death and legacy

In 1969, the Chicago Bears were in the midst of a 1-13 season, which was the worst record in the history of the Bears. Piccolo had finally earned a place in the starting lineup as an undersized fullback. During the ninth game in Atlanta on November 16, he voluntarily removed himself from the game, something he had never done, which raised great concern among his teammates and coaches. He had extreme difficulty breathing on the field, so when the team returned to Chicago he was promptly sent for a medical examination, and was diagnosed with embryonal cell carcinoma.

Soon after Piccolo had surgery at Sloan-Kettering in New York City to remove the tumor, he had another surgery in April 1970 to remove his left lung and pectoral muscle. After being bothered by chest pain, Piccolo was re-admitted to the hospital in early June, and doctors determined the cancer had spread to other organs, most notably his liver. Brian Piccolo died on June 16, 1970, at the age of 26. A month prior to his death, Sayers said: "I love Brian Piccolo, and I'd like all of you to love him. When you hit your knees to pray tonight; please ask God to love him too." Bears running back Gale Sayers uttered these famous words in May 1970, as he accepted the NFL's Most Courageous Player award. Sayers told the crowd they had selected the wrong person for the honor, and would accept it only on Piccolo's behalf.

Legacy

In 1972, Intermediate School 53 Brian Piccolo opened in Queens, New York on Nameoke Street in Far Rockaway. The school name was chosen by students after the first airing of Brian's Song. There is a football jersey belonging to Brian Piccolo on display in the lobby.

In 1980, students at Wake Forest, Piccolo's alma mater, began the Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund Drive in his memory. They raised money for the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Bowman Gray Medical Center of Wake Forest University. In addition, the Brian Piccolo Student Volunteer Program was established to provide undergraduates with an opportunity to work at the Cancer Center as volunteers. A dorm at Wake Forest University is also named in his honor.

In memory of Piccolo's accomplishments, the St. Thomas Aquinas High School football stadium in Fort Lauderdale is named after him. At the end of every football game, the school's marching band plays "The Hands of Time", the theme from ''Brian's Song''.

Brian Piccolo Park in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Cooper City, Florida, is named after Piccolo.

In 2006, Brian Piccolo's second cousin, also named Brian Piccolo, was a sophomore linebacker on the Plant High School, Tampa, Florida, football team which won the state championship in December.

Comcast SportsNet profiled Piccolo's legacy and the lasting impression he left in the June 2007 episode of '''net Impact''.

Each season since 1972, the Atlantic Coast Conference has awarded the Brian Piccolo Award to the conference's "Most Courageous Player". In 2007, the recipient was Matt Robinson of Wake Forest, the fourth player from Piccolo's alma mater to be given the award. Since 1970, the Chicago Bears have also handed out an award by the same name to a rookie and (since 1992) a veteran who "best exemplifies the courage, loyalty, teamwork, dedication and sense of humor" of Piccolo. The winners are chosen by the Bears' veteran players. The 2007 recipients were Brian Urlacher and Greg Olsen.

An Italian-American organization, UNICO (an acronym for Unity, Neighborliness, Integrity, Charity, and Opportunity), honors his memory each year by awarding the Brian Piccolo Award to courageous and outstanding athletes of Italian-American heritage. In 2009 Brian's brother Don attended his first UNICO award ceremony in Rivervale, New Jersey, where he delivered a speech.

''Brian's Song''

The film ''Brian's Song'', loosely based on Gale Sayers' autobiography, tells the story of the friendship between Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers and their time during football with the Chicago Bears up until Brian Piccolo's death. It first aired on ABC in 1971, starring James Caan as Brian Piccolo and Billy Dee Williams as Gale Sayers, and was such a success on television that it was later shown in theaters. A remake was filmed in 2001 for ABC's ''The Wonderful World of Disney'' starring Mekhi Phifer and Sean Maher.

Biography

Piccolo's biography, ''Brian Piccolo: A Short Season'', was written by Jeanne Morris (the wife of Chicago Bear teammate Johnny Morris) and featured passages written by Piccolo himself for a planned autobiography.

References

External links

Brian Piccolo biography at Bears History

Brian's life a Song of friendship, courage - Brian Piccolo biography at ESPN.com

Database Football.com - Brian Piccolo

Pro Football Reference.com - Brian Piccolo

Category:1943 births Category:1970 deaths Category:ACC Athlete of the Year Category:Cancer deaths in New York Category:Deaths from testicular cancer Category:Chicago Bears players Category:American people of Italian descent Category:National Football League players with retired numbers Category:Wake Forest University alumni Category:Wake Forest Demon Deacons football players Category:People from Pittsfield, Massachusetts Category:People from Fort Lauderdale, Florida

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