After a 23-year hiatus, MINI and British fashion designer Paul Smith are finally offering something fans can actually take home. The MINI Paul Smith Edition, making its global debut at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo, marks the first time a collaboration between the Oxford-based automaker and the iconic designer is truly for sale—rather than a one-off showpiece.
The partnership traces back to the 1998 MINI Paul Smith Edition, followed by limited-run concept vehicles STRIP (2021) and RECHARGED (2022), neither of which were commercially available. Now, MINI has opened the doors for enthusiasts with a lineup spanning three- and five-door hatchbacks as well as the convertible. Powertrain options are similarly broad, offering both traditional combustion engines and electric Cooper SE variants. The John Cooper Works performance model, however, remains absent.
Design cues nod to MINI’s rich heritage while celebrating Paul Smith’s signature flair. Statement Grey echoes the 1959 Mini Austin Seven, while Inspired White recalls the Classic Mini Beige. Both tones join the current MINI palette’s Midnight Black, providing a trio of exclusive options. Contrasting roofs and accents are finished in Nottingham Green, honoring the designer’s hometown, and are mirrored on the side mirror caps, wheel centers, and grille outline. For those craving drama, a darker roof option features multi-toned stripes in matte and glossy Jet Black.
Details abound for those willing to look closer. Paul Smith’s iconic stripe motif appears subtly on the driver’s side roof, while MINI logos are rendered in Black Blue, and Smith’s signature adorns the rear horizontal trim strip.
Inside, restraint meets refinement. The dashboard is swathed in Paul Smith-branded striped fabric, and the lower spoke of the steering wheel features the same motif. Seat shoulders and headrests receive knitted textile accents, while the infotainment system offers three custom Paul Smith backgrounds. Personalized touches extend to “Hello” light projections when the doors open, door sills etched with Smith’s mantra—“Every day is a new beginning”—and even hand-drawn rabbit motifs on the floor mats.
The MINI Paul Smith Edition is a rare example of a designer collaboration that balances fashion-forward flair with everyday usability. Tokyo showgoers can see it in person through November 9, but MINI enthusiasts around the world will soon have the chance to bring a piece of designer history home.
Source: BMW