On the evening of June 24th, the thermometer hit 39 degrees Celsius in Paris. Inside the former Cartier Foundation on Boulevard Raspail – Jean Nouvel’s all-glass greenhouse of a building – guests at the AMI Alexandre Mattiussi Spring 2027 show fanned themselves with logo-printed fans handed out at the entrance. None of that seemed to dampen Alexandre Mattiussi, however. “Paris is burning,” he declared backstage, as industrial fans roared around him. He meant it less as a weather report and more as a declaration of faith. The city, he said, has become an extraordinary engine of youthful energy, and this collection was his attempt to capture that energy.
Mattiussi has never particularly wanted to design fashion. He wants to make clothes, and this distinction is important. For Spring 2027, he staged his show in Jean Nouvel’s extraordinary transparent structure – a venue where, as one observer noted, light filters through at every angle; where the inside looks like the outside; and where nothing feels precious or untouchable. The architectural choice was not accidental. It mirrored exactly what came down the runway: tailoring so softened and deconstructed that it seemed to have forgotten its origins.
The silhouette this season is liberated. Unlined blazers in pearl gray sat over fluid silk trousers. Single-breasted suits in bone white were worn over vintage-washed t-shirts. Contrasting volumes juxtaposed sharp, fitted lines with loose, oversized proportions, yet the result never looked forced. Mattiussi’s great skill has always been making deliberate choices appear accidental, and here, that quality reached a new level of confidence.
The color palette transitioned from neutral whites and dove greys to pops of ruby red, ochre, and cobalt blue. Texture also played a significant role: crisp poplin against fluid silk and fine wool against technical nylon. The accessories held their own: the Boyfriend Bag, unstructured and broken in, built for a lived-in life; and the Bingo Bag, with its sliding metal sphere that adjusts the carry from shoulder to crossbody. The footwear ranged from retro collegiate-style sneakers to a reimagined version of the Mirage running shoe. Jewelry came with Parisian-coded charms, such as hearts, streetlamps, and newspapers.
The collection’s emotional core stemmed from a decision that Mattiussi made while crossing Paris on a recent Sunday evening during the Fête de la Musique. He said he watched the new generation “dance all night long, half naked, swimming in the Canal Saint Martin” and felt a kind of bittersweet joy. “I felt lucky to witness this,” he said. “It’s not for me anymore. I’m 45.” That melancholy and exuberance both made it into the clothes. The “I Love Paris” t-shirts on the runway were not ironic. They were earnest, which is harder to pull off, but when it works, it’s more powerful.
Fifteen years have passed since Mattiussi entered the market as a contemporary luxury contender, and the brand’s longevity speaks to a discipline that most designers lack. His ability to tap into collegiate styling while making it feel fresh through color, cut, and collaboration is one reason Ami Paris remains one of the few contemporary luxury brands thriving. Gym shorts were worn under navy blazers. Nylon anoraks were worn over sequin skirts. Argyle knits were reconfigured into blocky outlines of his signature heart. These combinations shouldn’t have worked on paper, but they did on the runway.
Mattiussi also revealed something significant: he is expanding Ami into kidswear, with sizes for ages 4 to 12 available starting Spring 2027. The brand’s already expansive universe is getting even bigger. A Miniature Pinscher named Abi – pronounced like Ami, he noted with a laugh – will reportedly be among his first clients for pet wear.
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The casting felt right for a show about Paris as a lived city rather than a postcard version of it. Anwar Hadid wore a playful “I Heart Paris” graphic t-shirt with loose, striped athletic pants, and Amélia Gray wore an off-white tonal look with canvas skate shoes. Catherine Deneuve and Marisa Berenson sat in the front row, fanning themselves, alongside Maluma and Choi Woo Shik. The guest list, like the clothes, seemed to have been assembled by someone with a generous idea of who Ami is for.
“Believable, reliable, comfortable,” Mattiussi told reporters backstage with a shrug. Simple words. But, in the hands of someone who means them and can demonstrate them on a runway, they are enough.
