The MINI Cooper family dons its finest attire once again, thanks to designer Paul Smith

It is increasingly common to see car brands partnering with fashion designers to create somewhat special editions in terms of design, which usually bring us specific models dressed up through collaboration with fashion houses, which, combined with typically enhanced equipment, result in special editions that are sometimes quite interesting.

This is the case with MINI, a British brand that has found the perfect union with the equally British designer Paul Smith. This partnership is already a few years old, beginning in 1998 when Paul Smith created a limited edition of the classic Mini with unique colours. A year later, the collaboration gave us a new work to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the classic Mini. Then in 2021 and 2021, MINI and Paul Smith returned with the one-off Strip, created with what the British designer considered expressly necessary, and the MINI Recharged by Paul Smith, respectively.

A few years after the last special edition, MINI and Paul Smith are collaborating once again on a new one, this time aimed at the 3-door and 5-door MINI Cooper, as well as the Cabrio version, with only the sporty versions bearing the John Cooper Works signature left out. As is customary in the collaborations between these two brands, these MINIs will be characterised by an exclusive palette of colours and design details under the motto of this edition, “Every day is a new beginning”.

The MINI Paul Smith Edition will be available in three body colours, two of which will be exclusive to this special edition: Statement Grey is the modern reinterpretation of the classic Mini Austin Seven colour from 1959, a light grey shade with certain bluish nuances; Inspired White is another modernised tribute to the popular classic Mini Beige colour; and finally the elegant Midnight Black Metallic, which can be found in the current MINI range.

Regardless of the colour customers choose, it will be accompanied as a contrast by Nottingham Green, created in homage to Paul Smith’s hometown, a green shade that will be present on the front grille, the mirror housings and the wheels, and which is also available as one of the roof colour options, in which case it will be accompanied by Paul Smith’s “Signature Stripe” on the driver’s side. The alternative to this shade is a roof decorated with stripes of varying thicknesses in Jet Black, combining matte and gloss finishes. In the case of the MINI Cooper Cabrio Paul Smith Edition, the soft top is black.

All MINI Cooper Paul Smith Editions, including the Cabrio, come as standard with 18-inch Night Spoke alloy wheels with a transparent coat tinted in Dark Steel Flash. The MINI logos on the front and rear are in a new design in Black Blue and, to finish the exterior, the black horizontal strip joining the light clusters features the British designer’s signature, thus certifying which special edition we are looking at.

Moving to the interior, as soon as you open the doors, a “Hello” handwritten by Paul Smith is projected onto the floor to give you a warm welcome and invite you into the cabin with a smile, along with the motto “Every day is a new beginning” on the door sills. From here, we see how a modern and elegant interior has been configured, with woven surfaces on the dashboard and black door panels, while Paul Smith has contributed fabrics with tone-on-tone striped patterns. The Nightshade Blue sports seats are made with Vescin and feature knitted fabric on the shoulder areas and headrests. Paul Smith’s hand is also visible on the steering wheel, with stitching designed in bright colours as a tribute to the Signature Stripe characteristic of the designer.

The interior changes conclude with two peculiar details: when the Personal mode is selected, the central round screen of the infotainment system will display one of three different backgrounds by Paul Smith. Finally, a stylised hand-drawn rabbit graphic by Paul Smith makes an appearance on the floor mats.