Atop the Empire State Building, New York City Celebrated AMI’s Stateside Debut

Two miles uptown from AMI Paris’s first U.S. flagship store, les amis (or, friends) of AMI founder and creative director Alexandre Mattiussi filled the 78th floor of the Empire State Building.

“Tonight is a very special night for me because it’s a dream come true as a French kid growing up in the countryside, dreaming of New York,” Mattiussi told Vogue. “Being here tonight for the opening of my store– celebrating that at the Empire State Building, it’s like I’m doing my party at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.”

AMI’s iconic heart emblem could be seen at every turn around the room, stitched on the defined knits of influencers, models, designers, musicians, and actors. Viral music sensation The Kid LAROI performed a handful of his inescapable hits to a crowd of fashion heavy-hitters, including Emily Ratajkowski, Hari Nef, Kaia Gerber, Joe Jonas, Noah Beck, Joey Bada$$, Camila Mendes, Justice Smith, Normani, and Ella Emhoff. 

“I’m super happy because I always say my biggest pride is to see people wearing my clothes all around the world. It’s so intimate,” Mattiussi expressed warmly. “We have a relationship with clothes that is very special. We are in people’s lives—in people’s closets first– but you get memories from clothes.”

The 2,000 square foot flagship store carries menswear, womenswear, accessories, and a limited-edition capsule collection in collaboration with New York-based artist Kevin Lyons as part of the AMI de Coeur series. The project invites artists to interpret their own version of the AMI heart emblem.

Mattiussi, who conceived the store’s design himself, has plans to open over six stores around the world in 2022, including in Miami, Los Angeles, Hamburg, Seoul, and additional stores in Paris and London. This comes on the heels of opening almost ten stores across China in 2021 alone, proving the astronomical demand for the luxe yet attainable brand. “It’s very organic,” said Mattiussi. “People are asking for the clothes, so I’m giving it to them.”

“You can work, you can dance, you can party, you can raise your children with AMI, and at the same time, you have to bring a bit of magic.”

AMI is located at 77 Greene Street in SoHo.