Ami’s Alexandre Mattiussi on Building an Authentic Brand

Friendship might not be a typical reference point for a fashion brand, but it’s a theme that permeates Ami, an advanced contemporary men’s wear label founded by Alexandre Mattiussi. After spending his 20s hopping around the halls of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton — he started at Dior, moved to Givenchy and ended his stint at Marc Jacobs — Mattiussi was ready to create clothes for his friends that filled the gap between fast fashion and luxury. “I couldn’t afford the things I was designing,” Mattiussi said. “I wanted to bring this luxurious feeling into something more accessible.” So in 2011, he launched Ami, which are his initials and also means friend in French. Nicolas Santi-Weil, Ami’s chief executive officer who had cofounded French contemporary brand The Kooples, joined the business in 2013. The two met through friends and Santi-Weil said he was drawn to the 34-year-old designer because he had a knack for business and a clear vision for the brand. According to Mattiussi, that vision isn’t anything deep. “I try not to intellectualize it too much,” Mattiussi said. “When I think about my experience before, the way we were designing was sometimes not so right. It feels like the only thing that interests

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