AMI x PUMA's dropped this week with a luxurious feeling lookbook full of style and spectacle. Romeo Beckham and Mia Regan were the models in a sun-drenched location, bringing a touch of panache to proceedings. The collection that mixes PUMA's sporting sensibilities with founder Alexandra Mattiussi's stylish casual tailoring has an air of Night Openings about it. It's celebrity airport swag for the everyday. It's got an air of "these clothes will make you look and feel first-class even if you just copped a 10 euro budget airline ticket last minute." But this collaboration isn't just about hot people on budget flights in great clothes. No. It's also about friendship.
AMI is literally the French word for friend and this theme runs through the collection which was designed with Mattiussi's friends and family as its muse. What would they feel comfortable in? How do they dress at weekends? What are the little bits of individual flair they bring to their outfits? A collection according to Mattiussi that "makes you feel both comfortable and elegant. That perfection is all about positive emotions: you feel happy and ready, you feel strong and confident." The result is something that's as aesthetically comfortable as it is practical. Ultimately at its core, it's a collection that in Mattiussi's own words designed for, "someone happy and joyful, friendly and inclusive. Someone humble, who believes in equality, and with a fun sense of humor!"
With the friends and family inspiration in mind, we had proposed to drop in on his family home for a shoot but it just so happened he was moving house at that time with the help of his close friendship group. We dropped in on his moving day in Paris to catch up with Mattiussi and friends to capture the new collection in action.
Beyond the collection's immediate inspiration, the theme of friendship runs even deeper with this collaboration. PUMA has built up a strong portfolio of menswear collaborators. Mattiussi comes to PUMA off the back of a legacy of top designers including Kiths, Ronnie Fieg, Harmony's David Obadia, Kid Super, Karl Lagerfeld, and Jeff Staple (to name but a few) so it would have been easy for him to feel the pressure of standing on the shoulders of giants. Thankfully for Mattiussi, the collaboration is a natural step for both brands formed off the foundation of similar values. "PUMA and AMI share similar values, such as respect, integrity, and inclusivity. Both brands definitely have in common a similar approach to creation, one that is sincere, joyful, and optimistic" says Mattiussi, and this helped to create a seamless melding of ideals for the collection. "At the origin, it was a beautiful encounter, a perfect understanding between AMI, its values, and its DNA, and PUMA, a long-established brand with a rich history and iconic products." The logo synchronization seen across the products is understated, minimal, and thoughtful. "One exciting thing is the merging of our logos: I feel very proud about that. It is a beautiful symbol of our collaboration, of this idea of mixing AMI’s tailoring know-how with PUMA’s sportswear expertise."
On top of the apparel side of the collection, it is accompanied by PUMA sneaker classics the Suede Crepe and Slipstream Lo, two silhouettes that bridge the gap between tailoring and sportswear perfectly. Deserving a place with a light linen suit or soft marl tracksuit in equal measure.
Click here to shop the full collection.
To shop the collection in Germany click here. Spain here. Italy here. France here.
