🎙️ Alexandre Mattiussi
There are some fashion insiders who call designer Alexandre Mattiussi “a one in a generation” fashion designer. And I would have to agree with that assessment. He is a bit of a fashion unicorn in that, not only is he a down to earth, friendly and gregarious guy who happens to be a very talented fashion designer, he also has a real head for - and a love of - both the business of fashion and the theatricality of it.
There are some fashion insiders who call designer Alexandre Mattiussi “a one in a generation” fashion designer. And I would have to agree with that assessment. He is a bit of a fashion unicorn in that, not only is he a down to earth, friendly and gregarious guy who happens to be a very talented fashion designer, he also has a real head for - and a love of - both the business of fashion and the theatricality of it.
Alexandre Mattiussi
Born in 1980 in the Normandy countryside, Alexandre studied at the Duperré fashion design school in Paris and decided to specialize in menswear design as he astutely saw that the market was much less saturated than the womenswear market at that time.
Early on, back in 2002, he tried his hand at starting his own business, selling t-shirts he had designed. But decided to press pause on that adventure to really learn his trade inside the walls of established menswear brands before stepping out on his own. To this end, he worked at Dior’s “30 Montaigne” menswear line and then joined Givenchy where for five years he built up real-world experience as he led the menswear design team before the arrival of Riccardo Tisci at the house, and then he had a stint designing for Marc Jacobs Men.
It was while at Marc Jacobs, as he was working on some ultra-luxury menswear items, that he had his sartorial epiphany. The beautiful things he was creating, well he would never be able to afford to buy them and he wanted to create clothing that he would see being worn on the street. Clothing that would make people happy as they went about living their lives.
And so, in 2011 his brand - AMI was born. The name, which means friend in French but is also the composition of his initials and the last letter of his last name perfectly encapsulates both the designer and his designs. He seems to be friends with everyone and everyone wants to be friends with him. And his clothing does act like friends for those who wear them. This is a brand filled with staple wardrobe pieces, the perfectly cut pair of trousers, the great chunky sweater, the evergreen outerwear. Menswear that was so well done that women wound up flocking to his work, and wearing his designs, as well.
Today Ami has over 300 stocklists across the globe and online and has freestanding stores in Paris, Tokyo, London, and China. And last year he finally launched a “menswear for women” line in response to the high demand for his designs by women around the world.
I caught up with Alexandre in his Paris headquarters after he and I had both just returned from a whirlwind tour of Asia. I was attending Shanghai Fashion Week and Tokyo Fashion Week and he also happened to be there as well. Showing his first collection outside of Paris in Shanghai at the same time as its fashion week and then held an event in Japan during its fashion week. All of it was a way to thank his Asian customers and friends who have become a very big part of his business.
What did I tell you, Alexandre, both a savvy businessman, but an even better friend.
Image of Alexandre Mattiussi from DrapersOnline.
🎙️ Ines de la Fressange
You know that classic line…about looking up a word in the dictionary and you would find a photo of a particular person there, as an embodiment of said word? Well, in the case of Ines de la Fressange if you looked up the words Parisian chic in the dictionary you might actually find a photo of her there.
You know that classic line…about looking up a word in the dictionary and you would find a photo of a particular person there, as an embodiment of said word? Well, in the case of Ines de la Fressange if you looked up the words Parisian chic in the dictionary you might actually find a photo of her there.
Ines de la Fressange
She is so linked to this idea that she even wrote a worldwide best selling book on the subject, which of course was called Parisian Chic. It has already produced a few equally clever and easy to read offspring.
But calling Ines an author is to limit her. She is so very many things. A global brand ambassador for the French luxury accessories company Roger Vivier. She has a store in Paris that bears her name that is filled with all of her favorite things, which she has hunted out on her travels around the world. But also pieces that are oh so French that they make for some great keepsakes and gifts for tourists looking to capture the je ne sais quoi French Style for themselves. She also is behind highly successful clothing collaborations with Uniqlo and Aigle. And she even has a capsule line of Citroen DS3 cars named after her that featured a few of her favorite things and colors.
Ines, who is a slender 5 foot 11 and 60 years old, is also a world class model. A muse for many years of Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel as well as Jean Paul Gaultier, she just recently walked in both their shows. She is also the mother to two amazing girls, runs her own eponymous company and has a fantastic blog called Lalettredines where she writes about all of her latest discovers that span the whole chic lifestyle spectrum.
Basically Ines is one of those women you end up having a girl crush on…while you endlessly wonder…how does she do it all. In our chat she lets me in on a few of her tricks to having it all..and doing it in style.