Making a case for fashion: Leica announces collaboration with British designer Paul Smith

Two limited edition ‘Paul Smith for Leica’ leather cases for Leica D-Lux 5 digital camera to be available for Christmas 2011:

Leica Camera Ltd and international fashion designer, Paul Smith, have joined forces for the first time to offer two exclusive, limited edition leather cases for the Leica D-Lux 5 digital camera.

Available from October 2011, just 300 of the premium quality cases will be available – 150 in a smooth chocolate brown calf leather with the famous Paul Smith vintage multi-stripe on the sides, and 150 in a light grey, croc-style embossed leather with a luxurious purple lining. The cases are hand-crafted in England and embossed with Paul Smith for Leica on the back. Both designs also feature an elegant matching shoulder strap.

The Paul Smith for Leica cases will be sold at Leica’s London-based store, the Leica Store Mayfair at 34 Bruton Place, W1 and at Paul Smith stores throughout the UK. The cases will retail at £200 including VAT (SRP).

About the Leica D-Lux 5 digital camera

The Leica D-Lux 5 is a high-performance compact digital camera offering full creative control. Its high quality Leica zoom lens, with focal lengths equivalent to 24 to 90mm (35mm equivalent), combined with a comprehensive range of features and manual settings, makes the D-Lux 5 a versatile camera suitable for a broad spectrum of photographic situations – from macro and wide-angle architecture and landscape photography to reportage and portrait photography. Its exceptionally fast maximum aperture also makes it an ideal camera for ‘available light’ photography, for example, when shooting indoors or in difficult lighting conditions.

Featuring a particularly large sensor for a compact camera, the D-Lux 5 produces brilliant high contrast images, with natural colour rendition and superb sharpness. It also shoots in 1,280 x 720 HD video format, for high quality movie making.

The Leica D-Lux 5 is characterised by clear lines and a stylish, uncomplicated design in an elegant black matt finish. Its formal simplicity, clear and intuitive controls, and a focus on essential features, are typical of all Leica cameras.

Pricing and availability

The Paul Smith for Leica limited edition cases are scheduled to be available in October 2011 at an SRP of £200 including VAT from the Leica Store Mayfair, 34 Bruton Place, London W1J 6NR, web site:

www.leica-storemayfair.co.uk, tel: 020 7629 1351, and from Paul Smith shops throughout the UK and www.paulsmith.co.uk.

The Leica D-Lux 5 digital camera is available in the UK from authorised Leica dealers including the Leica Store Mayfair. The suggested retail price is £644 including VAT.

Further accessories for the Leica D-Lux 5 include an electronic viewfinder priced at £275 and a hand grip at £63. Prices include VAT. The D-Lux 5 comes with a two-year warranty and a one-year Leica ‘Passport’ (accidental damage cover).

About Leica

Leica Camera AG manufactures premium cameras and sport optics products at its headquarters in Solms, Germany, and at a second factory located in Portugal. Leica products, with their famous ‘red dot’, are sold around the world, and the company is represented internationally by local offices in the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Singapore and the USA. Leica’s customers, and aficionados of the brand, truly appreciate the demands that Leica Camera makes on its products: uncompromising imaging performance.

About Paul Smith

In business for more than 40 years, Paul Smith has established himself as the pre-eminent British designer. Today, there are 14 different collections including: Paul Smith Mainline for men and women, Paul Smith Shoe, Paul Smith Accessories and Paul Smith Junior designed in London and Nottingham.

Paul Smith is sold throughout the world from showrooms in London, Paris, Milan, New York and Tokyo, and shops can be found in major cities around the globe. Paul remains fully involved in all aspects of the business and continues to be an integral part of the company, both designer and chairman. As a result, Paul Smith Limited retains a personal touch often lost in companies of a similar size.