AMI Alexandre Mattiussi to Unveil Men’s Pre-collection

MISSING LINK: “I see it as a new chapter, we have in place very strong teams for both development and design and are ready to work to this new rhythm,” said AMI’s Alexandre Mattiussi, who, seven years after launching his men’s brand, is entering the pre-collection game.

Mattiussi described the line, which will launch in May, as a “nice midseason wardrobe,” mixing in bestsellers like the label’s outerwear and jersey items.

“It’s about bringing it back to something very masculine and casual, and very easy and light, with denim elements, and playing on khaki with touches of pale yellow and red,” said the designer, who has no plans to launch women’s despite the success of his recent women’s capsule for Le Bon Marché’s global site 24 Sèvres. “I have ideas for women’s wear, but I still like the idea that AMI is a men’s wear brand that is attractive to women who like to go and shop from the men’s line,” he said.

With merchandise sporting the label’s “Ami de Coeur” logo in demand, the designer, for a capsule slated for early next year, will also be relaunching another logo: his smiley emoticon topped with the label’s signature red beanie, with pop-up happenings set to take place around the world. A collaboration with heritage French windbreaker brand K-Way will also launch in the new year.

The brand counts six of its own stores: three in Paris, one in Toyko, one in Hong Kong and one in London, with a second store planned for Tokyo, and a corner set to open in Galeries Lafayette this spring.

Mattiussi said it’s still a little early to open Stateside, though things are moving in that direction with the U.S. representing the second-biggest market in terms of sales on the brand’s e-commerce site since launching last year in partnership with Farfetch.

The AMI label, which was the winner of France’s ANDAM award in 2013 and scored an investment from Mode et Finance in 2012, was elected to the Chambre Syndicale de la Mode Masculine in 2016. The brand counts a staff of about 70 and has around 350 points of sale internationally, with sales doubling yearly, though Mattiussi declined to disclose figures.

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