PARIS — Waving the bleu, blanc and rouge colours of the French flag, hometown model Ami Paris is taking up Galeries Lafayette for the summer time with a collection of pop-ups, a capsule assortment and a beach-themed rooftop terrace simply in time for the Olympics.
Galeries Lafayette is the historic accomplice of the model. “They contacted us to say, let’s do one thing loopy through the Olympics,” mentioned Ami chief government officer Nicolas Santi-Weil. “And that’s what we like to do — to shock a consumer, to shock a accomplice, and to shock ourselves.”
Dubbed “La Plage AMI,” the primary of activations of the model based by Alexandre Mattiussi will kick off on Wednesday and run by the summer time till Sept. 2.
First the model will take over three street-level home windows, two dedicated to the summer time capsule and a 3rd showcasing the spring 2024 assortment.
The capsule shall be accessible in three key places — one within the menswear part, which is able to run till July 22; one other within the womenswear part, whereas a 3rd shall be perched on the rooftop.
The rooftop takeover is ready to convey the seaside vibes to the middle of city, full with colourful huts impressed by Deauville and striped deck chairs the place company can take within the view of the Eiffel Tower and newly renovated Opera Garnier.
The model has partnered with chef Julien Sebbag for crepes, and can function an ice cream stand and is full with a selfie area. There shall be activations open to the general public on the rooftop all through the summer time.
Deauville-inspired seaside huts on the rooftop of Galeries Lafayette.
The capsule assortment options the tricolors and stripes of the French flag with beach-ready put on of T-shirts, shorts and windbreakers, in addition to seaside towels, tote luggage and socks, all with Ami’s signature coronary heart image.
Different gadgets together with hoodies and baseball caps within the capsule assortment recall the model’s first huge merchandise when it launched a decade in the past. “We needed to mess around and are going to make use of this historic brand — the A, M, I — and produce it again, one thing we haven’t achieved for years,” mentioned Santi-Weil.
They’re additionally introducing smaller way of life gadgets that purpose to lift model consciousness to vacationers coming to Paris for the Olympics. “We’re a pal. You’ll all the time keep in mind you have been there,” he mentioned. These gadgets embody branded water bottles in addition to card video games, pétanque and Mölkky bowling units to supply as take-home souvenirs for vacationers.
Ami selected the pop-up with its historic accomplice Galeries Lafayette, following its main set up there in 2021.
A windbreaker from the capsule assortment.
Courtesy Ami Paris
With the understanding they aren’t a big conglomerate or sponsor, they needed to create an set up that was exterior the norm of store home windows and determined to convey Paris Plage — the town’s annual riverside summer time stroll — to the rooftop.
The set up was designed to happen through the Olympics, with each retailer and model uncertain of what to anticipate when it comes to turnout as the town preps for a wave of tourists.
“They know that the visitors shall be enormous,” Santi-Weil mentioned, however can’t ballpark what vacationer spend shall be as there isn’t a precedent for a equally set city video games. “We don’t understand how dense the visitors shall be. We don’t understand how folks will behave. What we all know, what we hope, is that they are going to be stunned, they’ll have enjoyable and see among the best views of Paris through the Olympics.”
Galeries Lafayette Haussmann sits exterior of the principle safety areas, which would require pre-approved QR codes for some passersby.
Regardless of the turnout, it is going to be a win for Santi-Weil and Mattiussi.
“Our purpose is to not generate income, our purpose is to make one thing enjoyable. It’s a tremendous occasion we gained’t have twice in our lifetime to have the Olympics in our metropolis, in our nation. So it must be about type. It must be one thing enjoyable, one thing constructive,” the model government continued.
“This shall be a powerful assertion of who we’re, to work with our historic accomplice on the rooftop, which is a stronger sign of belief,” mentioned Santi-Weil. “We’ve invested lots in time, in work, in individual, in occasions, to make it particular.”
