(Photo taken from https://www.vitkac.com/ch/men/designer/ami-alexandre-mattiussi)

Ami will be launching a line for women inspired by menswear at its Autumn/Winter 2018 show. The line will include some 70-80 pieces.

“I created Ami with this idea of designing clothes for my friends, who are both male and female, so I’ve really always pictured my pieces on both,” says Alexandre Mattiussi, founder of Ami. He previously worked at Dior Homme, Marc Jacobs and Givenchy focusing on menswear design. In 2011 he architected Ami. This new line – “a natural evolution of the Ami story” – is his way of including women in his creative work.

Since the brand’s debut collection in 2014, female models in smaller-sized menswear joined male ones. Amy managed to attract quite a number of loyal female followers. Its famous clientele includes model Caroline de Maigret, singer Héloïse Letissier and actress Charlotte le Bon.

Ami recently launched its first capsule collection for women – inspired by menswear styles – via 24 Sèvres e-commerce platform. Although the brand remains focused on menswear, some steps are made towards a firmer womenswear presence. “Ami is a brand for men, not unisex or for women,” says Nicolas Santi-Weil, Ami’s chief executive, “But from very early on, we started to see women coming to the store and starting to buy the brand.”

Ami’s turnover keeps increasing. Last year, women accounted for 35-40% of all sales (nearly 50% in Korea). Currently, Ami has 6 boutiques in Paris, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong plus over 300 points of sale across the globe. The “menswear for women” line, however, will be available exclusively in its Rue de Grenelle boutique. This is a deliberate distribution strategy that will help understand how clients respond to the product. “It’s just the beginning,” says Mattiussi.