British GQ - 09.2019

DETAILS STYLE

Revealed: 132-year-old hack to minimise

YOUR SCREEN TIME

Get yourself a chic diary, as designed by Smythson’s new creative director

Edited by Teo van den Broeke

T

here are some accessories that instantly denote both a

man’s taste and his standing. An immaculately crafted

Hermès briefcase, for instance (the edge-coatings on

the seams of the French heritage brand’s leather goods are

enough to send shivers of pleasure down this writer’s spine),

or a pair of hand-carved horn EB Meyrowitz spectacles.

Another such item is a leather-bound diary from Smythson,

synonymous with old-school Britishness and understated

style. Managing one’s schedule with a Smythson diary as

opposed to a smartphone calendar is to keep one’s time

with a vintage Rolex instead of an Apple Watch – a slice of

analogue elegance in an increasingly digital world.

It’s not only us who think so, either. Founded in 1887,

Smythson has provided stationery to the likes of the Queen,

Sigmund Freud, Sir Winston Churchill and Grace Kelly, to

name a few. To write in the pages of a Smythson diary, there-

fore, is to scrawl on the pages of history. Earlier this year it

started a new chapter in that history with the appointment

of creative director Luc Goidadin, the former chief design

officer of that other British stalwart Burberry. In his new

role, Goidadin has been tasked with turning around the

fortunes of the 132-year-old company (in the fiscal year

ending 2017 Smythson had losses of nearly £3 million), in

addition to injecting it with a youthful, desirable vigour.

Unveiled earlier this year, Goidadin's first collection for the

brand, AW19, was a strong message of intent.

Inspired by “the playful spirit of Frank

Smythson”, the collection, which is

in stores now, consists of a host of

new and innovative offerings, such

as a chic, limited-edition Smythson

& S’well water bottle holder in tan

leather, a series of new directional

bag shapes, including the capacious

Ciappa tote and the slouchy Nomad

holdall (right) and a range of on-trend multi-zip cross-body

bags. Oh, and there are diaries aplenty too, of course. “I

spent my first few weeks at Smythson trawling our amazing

archives to imbibe the spirit of the brand and inspire our

next chapter,” Goidadin tells GQ. “I really want to honour

the legacy of Frank Smythson to make sure everything we

do stays true to our identity. Frank stood for that delightfully

British blend of refinement and elegance offset by eccentric

humour and witty irreverence,” he continues. “A key aspect

of this was to use our print archive to create graphics and

artworks that would tie together all our pieces in a playful

way, from a cashmere throw to a briefcase, via notebooks

and travel bags.

“We were founded in 1887 to cater to a discerning global

customer who sought faultless quality, clever functionality

and a distinctive style,” says Goidadin. “Fast-forward to

2019 and this still rings true.” TvdB

The bag

of the

moment

This large,

Prussian blue

travel bag from

Luc Goidadin’s

first collection

epitomises the

designer’s

heritage-cum-

contemporary

approach for

this most British

of brands.

Bag by Smythson,

£1,395.

smythson.com

Notebook by

Smythson, £195.

smythson.com

Luc Goidadin

Smythson’s new boutique

in London’s Mayfair

09-19DetailsSmythson.indd 70 05/07/2019 12:26

66 GQ.CO.UK SEPTEMBER 2019