Caran d'Ache x Paul Smith Edition 5

Paul Smith has carried a Caran d'Ache 849 in his jacket pocket for years, always within reach for a note or a sketch. That's not the origin story of this collaboration, but it's close to it. Over more than a decade and five editions, two brands with a shared obsession for colour and craft have built something that doesn't need reinventing. Edition 5 goes deeper into the language they've developed together, not further away from it.

The 849 ballpoint pens and mechanical pencils come in satin-lacquered black or raw silver, with Paul Smith's Signature Stripes embossed across the aluminium body in eight colours. The pattern is pressed into the surface rather than printed on top of it, giving the pen a texture that's noticeable in the hand. Paul Smith's signature sits on face 4. Each pen arrives in a glossy black metal case with the combined Caran d'Ache + Paul Smith logo, the inside of the lid lined with the stripe motif. The Goliath medium or fine refill is included and the pen is compatible with all Caran d'Ache Goliath ink refills.

The Ecridor Paul Smith Ed.5 is the high point of the collection. A Shadow Stripes guilloché pattern is engraved into the body with the kind of precision that belongs to Swiss watchmaking rather than ordinary pen production. "Write it down" is engraved alongside Paul Smith's signature, a nod to his lifelong habit of noting everything down. The pen comes in a leather case with a green interior and blue topstitching. The A6 notebook has 216 dotted-grid pages with small hand-drawn illustrations by Paul throughout. The bicolour set brings twelve two-tone watersoluble pencils in 24 shades, plus a brush, in a metal travel case.