Buyer's Guide

Everything you need to know about AMI Paris

Providing us with Parisian prowess since 2011, French style heroes AMI Paris offer men’s and womenswear for a contemporary lifestyle. From their signature De Coeur knitted jumpers to relaxed Cuban collar shirts, AMI clothing gives us the perfect balance of formal and casual cool. Here’s everything you need to know about the cult brand and it’s story…

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#1 What does AMI mean?

AMI are the initials of Alexandre Mattiussi’s name and the French translation for ‘friend’. AMI’s brand values focus on its friendly, authentic and nonchalant nature. Designed for everyone, AMI men’s and womenswear collections are designed for laid-back, no-fuss, quality, casual style.

#2 Who is AMI Paris?

Founded almost a decade ago, AMI is the brainchild of Alexandre Mattiussi. French-born and bred; Alexandre started an earlier form of the company in 2002. However shortly closed the business reopening later in 2011 after some years of working at Dior Homme, Marc Jacobs and Givenchy.

In 2017 AMI’s instantly recognisable De Coeur logo became the new brand signature, featured across the range but mostly recognisably by the oversized knits. Fast forward a year to January 2018 and AMI shows its first ever ‘ Menswear for Women’ collection during their AW18 show, comprising of men’s looks adapted and adjusted for the female clientele – a big move for the brand.

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#3 Alexandre Mattiussi

Born in Normandy in 1980, Alexandre Mattiussi always had a love of fashion, studying fashion and design in France and later specialising in menswear. He worked for big players in the luxury landscape such as Givenchy and Marc Jacobs until deciding to take on his own fashion venture in the form of AMI. When creating the ethos behind the brand, being attainable for every type of man was the priority, from the man you see on the street to your best friend.

I try to make clothes for life – good-quality clothes with good proportions.

Alexandre had a clear vision: real clothes for real people and to make luxury fashion accessible. He is renowned for his very humble and genuine approach to fashion. After only being an established brand for two years, in 2013 AMI Paris was the first brand to win the prestigious Andam award. Winning two years of mentoring by Italian fashion entrepreneur Renzo Rosso, as well as a cash prize of 250,000 euros.

Today, AMI is no longer a small start-up business, it is a globally recognised fashion house and Alexandre Mattiussi still lives by the motto, ‘if you approach people with a smile and good energy people respond in a nice way.’ opening his store in New York, next to Loewe and Saint Laurent in December 2021, he is taking the brand from strength to strength.

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#4 AMI Womenswear

In 2019 Alexandre Mattiussi launched his first ever womenswear line with accessibility at the forefront of the collection. In the latest SS22 collection, titled ‘Le Echapée Belle’ meaning a great escape or a close call, Mattiussi nods to the fact that hopefully, this is the last show affected by the pandemic. Set in an abandoned amusement park, it definitely had the feeling that the party was just getting started. For spring, there were cut-out, slinky silhouettes, party-ready pieces consisting of sheer crystal-embellished tops and dresses alongside leather bralettes and a pair of hot shorts.

AMI Paris

#5 AMI collaborations

As an established menswear brand in the luxury landscape, AMI has become a sought-after brand for collaborations. The brand has teamed up with the likes of Moncler and EASTPAK to name a few on capsule collections, bringing AMI’s signature Parisian aesthetic into each partnership.

AW15 – AMI X MONCLER

The coming together of AMI and Moncler is a French fashion fantasy. The long-established heritage of Moncler’s performance-wear jackets teamed with the high-end casual style of AMI makes for a winning combination. Offering a collection of jackets, sweaters, blazers and accessories, the first of AMI’s collaborations was to set the scene for the coming years.

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AW17 – AMI X EASTPAK

Aligning with Alexandre’s AW17 collection, AMI collaborated with EASTPAK for a collection of three bags. Taking inspiration from the designs in his runway shows it gave a contemporary edge to the urban and sportswear style of classic EASTPAK bags.

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AW17 – AMI X GAP

In AW17 AMI also released their collaboration with iconic ready-to wear giant GAP. The collection was designed as part of the ‘Best Menswear Designers on the Planet’ program an initiative created by GQ. The collaboration brought together both brand’s signature aesthetics, with the sophisticated shapes of AMI and the basic essentials of GAP’s designs. The collection also saw the Ami de Coeur logo merged in with GAP’s logo.

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AMI x SMILEY

The AMI x SmileyWorld collaboration brought together the relaxed ethos of both brands and aims to quite literally put a smile on your face. The original inventor of the trademark yellow smiley face since the 70’s the partnership features a version of Alexandre’s red beanie. The collection included a selection of best-selling AMI staples all branded with the iconic Smiley face.

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AW18 – AMI x K-WAY

In the height of rainy season across Europe, AMI Paris collaborated with the original inventor of the pac-a-mac?! Parisian brand K-WAY are the go-to brand for lightweight rainproof jackets. It provided the perfect combination of functionality and style. The six raincoats in the collection had an unmistakably vintage feel and a bold colour palette.

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SS22 / Aw23 – AMI X PUMA

Earlier this year AMI teamed up with sportswear giant, PUMA to provide a collaboration that embraced positive energy around friendship. AMI’s expertise is apparent with quality materials and laid-back Parisian tailoring. The range includes simplistic, comfortable essentials with a wool coat, relaxed sweatshirts and staple fleeces for colder weather.