Sir Paul Smith has credited colourful stripes, patience and even rubber chickens with helping him build one of Britain’s best-known fashion brands.

Speaking to BBC News at his London headquarters to mark the publication of his autobiography, Threads: My Life in Style, Smith reflected on the unusual moments that shaped his career.

Rubber chickens in Japan

Smith says rubber chickens helped him communicate with people in Japan when he first began working there in 1982. At the time, he says, only one person in the company spoke “schoolboy English”, so he relied on gestures, drawings and humour.

When he felt tired in the afternoon, Smith would take a rubber chicken from his bag and squeeze it. The gesture, he says, made people laugh and helped him build relationships.

The Paul Smith brand now has more than 20 stores in Japan and operates across 50 countries, according to the report.

From a small Nottingham shop

Smith opened his first shop in Nottingham in 1970. He recalls that it was a tiny, windowless store and that he took £38 on the first day. He says his wife, Pauline Denyer, bought most of the stock to support him.

The designer says his autobiography was partly inspired by turning 80 and wanting to offer advice to people hoping to enter the fashion industry. He urges young designers to be patient and to grow their businesses slowly and carefully.

Smith’s career in fashion began after his ambition to become a professional cyclist ended with a crash when he was 17.

The signature stripes

Paul Smith is known for his colourful twists on traditional British tailoring and his signature multicoloured stripes.

The stripes first appeared in the brand’s spring 1992 collection. Customer demand led Smith to bring them back, and they have remained a defining part of the label. He jokes that he sometimes wonders how many more combinations of stripes he can create.

Smith’s London office reflects the playful style associated with the brand. It is filled with books, gifts, artwork, clothing and curiosities, including a plastic goose covered in stamps, a clockwork toy drummer and nativity scenes made from nuts.

He says he writes a thank-you postcard every morning to people who send him gifts when they include an address. “Good manners is really important in business, especially for longevity,” he says.

Friends in music and football

The autobiography also recounts Smith’s friendships and encounters with prominent figures from music and sport.

He says George Best sometimes stayed in his spare bedroom after Smith collected the Manchester United footballer from Heathrow so he could escape for the weekend. Smith recalls that they got along despite his lack of interest in football and would eat fish and chips together.

Smith was also friends with David Bowie from the 1980s and later designed a T-shirt linked to Bowie’s final album, Blackstar. He describes Bowie as curious and inquisitive.

Smith has also recalled meeting Paul McCartney, who made him a cheese sandwich after a soundcheck at the Hammersmith Apollo.

Continuing to work in the shops

Smith says he remains closely involved with the business and still works on the shop floor for several hours each week at the Paul Smith flagship store in London’s Floral Street.

He says customers sometimes realise only gradually that they are speaking to the designer whose name is on the sign. Smith jokes that staff describe him as the shop’s best salesman because he knows the products he designed.

Threads: My Life in Style is stated to be published on 10 September.