Ami Updates Bourgeois Styles for Fall Runway Show at Paris Fashion Week 

French model Laetitia Casta presents a creation from the Fall/Winter 2024/2025 Collection by French designer Alexandre Mattiussi for Ami during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, 18 January 2024. (EPA)
French model Laetitia Casta presents a creation from the Fall/Winter 2024/2025 Collection by French designer Alexandre Mattiussi for Ami during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, 18 January 2024. (EPA)
TT

Ami Updates Bourgeois Styles for Fall Runway Show at Paris Fashion Week 

French model Laetitia Casta presents a creation from the Fall/Winter 2024/2025 Collection by French designer Alexandre Mattiussi for Ami during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, 18 January 2024. (EPA)
French model Laetitia Casta presents a creation from the Fall/Winter 2024/2025 Collection by French designer Alexandre Mattiussi for Ami during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, 18 January 2024. (EPA)

Ami designer Alexandre Mattiussi added a contemporary flair to classic bourgeois styles for his fall/winter collection, presented on the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week late on Thursday.

Men and women models marched out of giant double doors -- the set was a towering building facade -- parading long tailored coats, fitted suit jackets and glittering tops.

The idea was to evoke life in a Paris apartment building, Mattiussi explained after the show, when he was swarmed by guests.

“There was the idea of doing something very sophisticated, very evening-like,” he said.

Dressier looks included a trim, fake-fur top with three-quarter-length sleeves, a shimmering gold dress with plunging V-neck, and for men, a sheer grey tank top paired with high-waisted trousers.

Models included actors Diane Kruger, Laetitia Casta, Lou Doillon, Andres Velencoso and Audrey Marnay -- prompting murmurings of surprise from the audience as they walked by.

A winner of the French fashion prize Andam, Mattiussi founded the fast-growing label Ami in Paris in 2011. Within four years, the brand opened a store in Tokyo, followed by Beijing in 2018 and New York in 2021.

Paris Fashion Week's fall/winter menswear shows run through Jan. 21, and include presentations from some of the industry's largest brands, including LVMH labels Dior and Louis Vuitton, as well as Hermes, Valentino and Balmain, along with dozens of smaller labels including Sean Suen and LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi.



Kering Posts 11% Drop in Q2 Sales, Sees Weak Second Half

The logo of luxury brand Gucci is seen in Tokyo on June 22, 2021. (AFP)
The logo of luxury brand Gucci is seen in Tokyo on June 22, 2021. (AFP)
TT

Kering Posts 11% Drop in Q2 Sales, Sees Weak Second Half

The logo of luxury brand Gucci is seen in Tokyo on June 22, 2021. (AFP)
The logo of luxury brand Gucci is seen in Tokyo on June 22, 2021. (AFP)

Kering reported a bigger-than-expected drop in second-quarter sales and forecast a weak second half, as the French luxury group struggles to revive its key label Gucci and worries grow about a prolonged downturn in high-end spending.

Sales at the French luxury group which owns labels Gucci, Boucheron and Balenciaga, fell to 4.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion), an 11% drop on an organic basis, which strips out currency effects and acquisitions.

The figure was below analyst expectations for a 9% drop, according to a Visible Alpha consensus.

It also said second-half operating income could fall by around 30%, following a 42% drop in the first half.

Sales at Gucci fell 19%, showing no improvement from the first quarter, and below analyst expectations for a 16% decline, according to a Visible Alpha consensus.

Kering has been revamping Gucci, the century-old Italian fashion house which accounts for half of group sales and two-thirds of profit.

Minimalist designs from new creative director Sabato de Sarno, which began trickling into stores earlier this year, are key to the design reset and push upmarket, in a bid to cater to wealthier clients who are more immune to economic headwinds.

Kering chief financial officer Armelle Poulou told reporters that the designs had been well received and the rollout was on track.

But the efforts have been complicated by a downturn in the global luxury market, while China's rebound - traditionally Gucci's most coveted market - was clouded by a property crisis and high youth unemployment as Western markets came down from a post-pandemic splurge.

Earnings from sector bellwether LVMH on Tuesday missed expectations as sales rose 1%, offering few signs that a pickup is around the corner, sending shares in luxury goods companies down on Wednesday. Kering traded at its lowest level since 2017.