AMI OPENS FIRST LONDON FLAGSHIP

Ami Store London
by William Buckley

Following success with stores in Paris and Tokyo, French menswear brand Ami has set up shop in UK’s capital, London, at 75 Duke Street. Housed in a Grade II listed red brick building, built by the Grosvenor family in the 1720s in what is now Mayfair, one of the most fashionable neighborhoods in the world (and one of the most expensive), the Parisian brand teamed up with noted interior architect firm, Studio KO.

The anticipated opening marks Ami founder and creative director Alexandre Mattiussi’s fifth collaboration with the firm, who also designed the Ami stores in Paris and Tokyo. The interior, featuring exposed white brick walls, brass, marble, and wood, is decked out in mirrors positioned throughout the space to create an optical illusion of reflections.

Ami joins a host of brands that have opened on Duke Street in recent months as part of Grosvenor’s transformation of North Mayfair. Grosvenor completed the refurbishment of the award-winning Brown Hart Gardens in 2013 and The Beaumont hotel in October 2014, operated by Corbin & King and featuring ‘Room’, a habitable sculpture by leading British artist Antony Gormley.

“Duke Street is fast becoming one of the most exciting retail destinations in London’s West End, welcoming seven new retailers in the last 18 months,” said Craig McWilliam, Executive Director, London estate at Grosvenor Britain & Ireland. “Ami is a fitting new addition and will play a significant part in ensuring this part of our estate is a great place to visit, to work and to live.”

Next time you’re in town, be sure to stop in.