They’ve been good buds for a long time have David Bowie and Paul Smith – music-loving Paul tapping his foot to a bit of Bowie while he sketches out a suit, and we don’t doubt that Dave’s got room for a bit of the designer’s distinct tailoring in his wild wardrobe.

As part of a series of collaborations around the release of David Bowie’s new studio album, The Next Day, Paul Smith has designed an exclusive edition of the album, available from Nottingham’s Music Exchange in the designer's home town, Selfridges and the Paul Smith website from Friday May 17.

So what’s Paul’s magic touch? This vinyl edition of the album comes in a distinct translucent red, chosen by the designer, making it the first of any of Bowie’s back-catalogue to come in the colour. You can imagine it now, Bowie on the phone, ‘’ere Paul, what colour shall we make the record then?’, met with Paul’s response of ‘red of course! It’s fiery, and bold and bombastic, just like you Dave. Plus you can’t have blue, or you’ll get ‘em all going with those bye-bye-blues rumours again’. 

This latest album is indeed rumoured to be the singer’s last, thanks to cryptic allusions of finality woven through its lyrics and supporting videos, and not least, its cover, which seems to draw a line under the legend of Bowie by quite literally blanking out his past with a white box baring the album’s forward-looking title obscuring the cover of Bowie’s classic 1977 album, Heroes. Should this turn out to be the case, we suggest you buy the special edition vinyl now, and get your eBay listing ready for later.