Oh, how hard it is to grow and nurture an independent fashion brand in the city of Paris where the big guns are headquartered so rents are high, good talent scarce and expensive and developing original clothing ideas and bringing them to a commercially viable level before they get copied shamelessly and so on is no small feat. Alexandre Mattiussi’s AMI doesn’t make it look very hard. In fact, he makes it look easy and fun when he takes over the Place des Victoires in the second arrondissement next to his headquarter and has traffic blocked off for the night to show an impeccably pulled together collection of oversize chic which would look perfect on anyone strolling the booths on a Sunday morning on one of the cities many great flea markets. “I work here, I eat lunch around here, this is my hood and the people my friends and family”, enthused Mattiussi after the show. And it will probably be the most memorable show in his career because seconds after his finale, torrential rain fell on the Place rendering the idea of a fashion show absolutely impossible. He is lucky he has the skills, because most importantly here is a designer who perfectly judges between art and commerce when he makes of the moment extremely elongated four button single breasted jackets or simple knitwear as in cardigans which show off the also easy on the eye AMI logo which has been at the heart of his branding journey.

The maximum factor?

Apart from a long and lean silhouette with his single-breasted suiting, Mattiussi went big for his volumes and silhouettes. It looked like he supersized all his shirts, shorts, and bombers. The effect was a completely oversized look but perfectly judged.

The big easy?

Mattiussi has always loved a certain nonchalance from the very beginning. But the way his shirts stick out from the suiting almost reaching down to the knee looks fresh.

The music?

Mattiussi confessed to Maurice Ravel’s Bolero being his favorite piece of music, but it had never fit for any of his shows. This neighborhood show was the time and moment to bring out the slowly rising and magnificent composition.