Paul Smith × Fender: A Striped Telecaster Meets Sunflowers and Record-Shop Culture
Their first collaboration connects clothing and accessories with a striped Made in Japan Telecaster. The guitar costs ¥440,000 in Japan, with the initial run numbered 01–80; apparel includes tie-dye and sunflower graphics.
Britain’s Paul Smith and American guitar maker Fender bring instruments, clothes and accessories into one musical setting for their first collaboration. In 2026, Sir Paul Smith turns eighty and Fender marks its eightieth anniversary. The collection launched through designated Japanese channels on October 21. A Made in Japan Telecaster in signature stripes anchors tie-dye tops, sunflowers and record-shop graphics, connecting the clothing of performers and audiences.
What changes beyond the striped guitar body?
The Made in Japan Paul Smith Telecaster costs ¥440,000 including Japanese tax. An alder body is paired with a Modern C maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. Neck and bridge pickups are modified for the collaboration, alongside a vintage-style three-saddle bridge, locking tuners and a dedicated neck plate. A hard case and certificate are included. The initial production run is numbered 01–80; that does not establish a permanent worldwide production total of eighty guitars.
The metal neck plate on the back carries both brands’ lettering.
Product photographs show fine coloured stripes following the body’s curves, layered against a dark-red tortoiseshell pickguard. Metal hardware and a dark fingerboard contain the palette within familiar Telecaster construction. The collaboration therefore involves more than printing a fashion label on an instrument: parts players hold and adjust also matter. Sound and feel should nevertheless be assessed through an actual guitar, demonstrations or playing, rather than inferred from colour.
Clothes draw on festivals and London record shops
The clothing borrows psychedelic festival colour and the history of record shops and labels on London’s Wardour Street. Tie-dye, dense lettering and sunflowers appear on T-shirts, shirts and outerwear. The Meet at the Tree graphic uses a photograph of a tree Paul Smith likes in his hometown of Nottingham. Together, these references create a visual background beyond anniversary numerals alone.
Dense imagery and multicoloured lettering cover the jacket lining.
Tax-inclusive prices on the official Japanese page include ¥19,800 for a tie-dye T-shirt, ¥29,700 for an all-over-print shirt, ¥154,000 for a mod suit and ¥176,000 for a varsity jacket. Photographs show dark outer fabric contrasted with floral graphics and a richly coloured lining. One patterned item can work with plain clothing; carrying the guitar while wearing stripes and tie-dye all at once is not required to appreciate the collection.
A dark jacket contrasts with sunflower graphics.
Accessories and differences between markets
Guitar straps, a twelve-piece pick set and other small accessories round out the offering. The picks cost ¥5,500 including Japanese tax, using varied graphics to connect record-shop and playing culture. British four-piece band Legss appears in the campaign. Involving working musicians makes the relationship between clothes and instruments more tangible, but this is neither an interview conducted by us nor a playing test.
Picks in different colours and graphics accompany a branded storage tin.A tie-dye T-shirt combines bright colour with collaboration graphics.
Announced Japanese channels include Paul Smith online and its Ginza, Marunouchi, Osaka and Shibuya stores, alongside Fender Flagship Tokyo and Fender Japan online. Prices, preorders and delivery arrangements may differ overseas: the Japanese October 21 launch should not be read as worldwide same-day stock. Start with the official Paul Smith × Fender collection, then check sizes, versions and availability according to whether you want an instrument, clothing or accessories.
