Automotive style icons

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The Paul Smith Land Rover : To mark the Land Rover Defender's final year of production, the company approached British fashion designer Paul Smith and gave him total freedom to create a unique model. The finished result, unveiled at Smith's Mayfair shop, features 23 individually mixed exterior colors plus a black leather and striped fabric interior. There are even tongue-in-cheek touches such as a hand-painted bee on the roof and an image of keys and coins on the inside of the glove compartment. Photo:AFP

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The Paul Smith Land Rover : To mark the Land Rover Defender's final year of production, the company approached British fashion designer Paul Smith and gave him total freedom to create a unique model. The finished result, unveiled at Smith's Mayfair shop, features 23 individually mixed exterior colors plus a black leather and striped fabric interior. There are even tongue-in-cheek touches such as a hand-painted bee on the roof and an image of keys and coins on the inside of the glove compartment. Photo:AFP

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Paul Smith and Jaguar : It's by no means the first time that the designer has turned his attentions to an iconic British motoring marque. In 2001 Smith partnered with Jaguar (which like Land Rover was then part of the Ford Motor Company) to create a one-off X-Type for a charity auction aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Although the car itself remained ‘stock' inside the cabin and under the hood, the exterior paint job was truly unique and clearly a Paul Smith design with his signature multi-colored multi-stripe motif running from nose to tail via the roof. The other unique addition was a personalized numberplate, P5 JAG. Photo:AFP

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Paul Smith and Jaguar : It's by no means the first time that the designer has turned his attentions to an iconic British motoring marque. In 2001 Smith partnered with Jaguar (which like Land Rover was then part of the Ford Motor Company) to create a one-off X-Type for a charity auction aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Although the car itself remained ‘stock' inside the cabin and under the hood, the exterior paint job was truly unique and clearly a Paul Smith design with his signature multi-colored multi-stripe motif running from nose to tail via the roof. The other unique addition was a personalized numberplate, P5 JAG. Photo:AFP

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Paul Smith's one-off Mini... : Before that he struck up a partnership with Mini, which saw the creation of a similarly multi-stripe -- 86 different hues to be exact -- one-off, unveiled at the 1997 Tokyo motor show. The car has since become a recurring image in Smith's own designs, adorning t-shirts, keyrings and bags in his diffusion and accessories ranges. Photo:AFP

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Paul Smith's one-off Mini... : Before that he struck up a partnership with Mini, which saw the creation of a similarly multi-stripe -- 86 different hues to be exact -- one-off, unveiled at the 1997 Tokyo motor show. The car has since become a recurring image in Smith's own designs, adorning t-shirts, keyrings and bags in his diffusion and accessories ranges. Photo:AFP

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...led to a fully-fledged production model : However, unlike the Jagaur, the one-off Mini actually led to a fully-fledged production model too. The stripes were ditched in favor of a unique ‘Paul Smith' dark blue with a contrasting black leather and citrus green interior. When it went on sale as a limited edition in 1998, it was the most luxurious production Mini built to date, with a host of optional extras as standard. Photo:AFP

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...led to a fully-fledged production model : However, unlike the Jagaur, the one-off Mini actually led to a fully-fledged production model too. The stripes were ditched in favor of a unique ‘Paul Smith' dark blue with a contrasting black leather and citrus green interior. When it went on sale as a limited edition in 1998, it was the most luxurious production Mini built to date, with a host of optional extras as standard. Photo:AFP

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Victoria Beckham knows a thing or two about crossovers : Likewise, this is not Land Rover's first dalliance with the catwalk. The company turned to, among others, Victoria Beckham when developing its first ‘crossover' SUV, the Evoque, hiring her as a creative design executive in 2010. In 2012, the company launched a special Victoria Beckham limited edition, which she said was inspired by her husband. The first Land Rover to come with a matte exterior finish, the car featured leather wrapped sports seats, rose gold accents as well as mohair, dark wood veneers and a four-piece luggage set. Photo:AFP

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Victoria Beckham knows a thing or two about crossovers : Likewise, this is not Land Rover's first dalliance with the catwalk. The company turned to, among others, Victoria Beckham when developing its first ‘crossover' SUV, the Evoque, hiring her as a creative design executive in 2010. In 2012, the company launched a special Victoria Beckham limited edition, which she said was inspired by her husband. The first Land Rover to come with a matte exterior finish, the car featured leather wrapped sports seats, rose gold accents as well as mohair, dark wood veneers and a four-piece luggage set. Photo:AFP

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The Barbour and Land Rover partnership : Away from individual designers, Jaguar Land Rover has also worked hard to align itself with clothing labels. In March 2014, it announced a collaborative partnership with Barbour in order to create a line of his and hers clothing inspired by Land Rover's model range. The most recent Land Rover inspired Barbour collection -- Spring Summer '15 -- was unveiled in January. Photo:AFP

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The Barbour and Land Rover partnership : Away from individual designers, Jaguar Land Rover has also worked hard to align itself with clothing labels. In March 2014, it announced a collaborative partnership with Barbour in order to create a line of his and hers clothing inspired by Land Rover's model range. The most recent Land Rover inspired Barbour collection -- Spring Summer '15 -- was unveiled in January. Photo:AFP

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