‘I’ve got more of a sense of humour than Ralph Lauren’ – nine things we learned from Paul Smith’s new memoir

British designer Paul Smith has released a new memoir Threads: My Life in Style. Photograph: Suki Dhanda/The Guardian

In July, the British designer Paul Smith celebrated his 80th birthday and he has now released a memoir to mark the occasion. Threads: My Life in Style tells Smith’s story, from growing up in Nottingham and leaving school with no qualifications to selling suits to celebs, including Gary Oldman and David Bowie.

Here are nine of our favourite lesser-known takeaways from the book.