Paul Smith selects a commission for his next collaborative project

Sir Paul Smith continues to do his part to encourage the next generation of menswear designers. And Commission, a New York-based brand that started in womenswear in 2018 and expanded into menswear last year, is the latest recipient of his bounty.

The UK-based designer said on Monday that following a meeting with the brand at a recent visit to New York, Commission was chosen "for the obvious creative synergy between the two brands as well as their potential for positive impact with Paul's personal guidance."

Earlier this year, Smith unveiled its &PaulSmith collaboration program, designed to nurture emerging talent. The program is funded by the Paul Smith Foundation and its first recipient was London-based brand Ahluwalia, founded by Priya Ahluwalia, whose capsule collection was released in April.

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On this second iteration, Smith partnered with the Council of Fashion Designers of America to mentor and develop emerging menswear designers based in North America. The goal is to focus on traditionally underserved communities by connecting designers with business opportunities and key business contacts.

Sir Paul Smith

Commission was selected from the CFDA design community after an internal committee of the organization presented a shortlist of candidates to the designer.

Commission was founded by Dylan Cao and Jin Kay, first generation immigrants from Vietnam and Korea du Sud, respectively, graduated from The New School's Parsons School of Design. After graduating, the friends worked for other fashion companies, but the experience wasn't satisfying, so they decided to team up and launch their own brand. Their womenswear is inspired by the wardrobes their mothers wore to work in the 80s and 90s, reinterpreted for today's modern woman. The brand expanded into menswear after Canadian menswear store Ssense requested it in 2021.

The &PaulSmith capsule collection with Commission will be released in the fall of 2023 and will be sold at the Paul Smith and on the creator's website as well as via Ssense.

Since founding his namesake company in 1970, Smith has grown the Paul Smith brand to include 130 stores in more than 60 countries.