Smiley links with Ami Paris, extends collab to 2020

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Mar 15, 2018

Smiley and Ami Paris have built on their earlier collaboration collection which they said was “hugely successful” with a new launch that marks an extension of their partnership.

They said the co-creation between “two like-minded brands that share an ethos of positivity and design excellence” sees the collab back in stores for another two years, as the hipster Parisian streetwear brand and Smiley have agreed a new deal until 2020.

Smiley first linked up three years ago with the label that had been founded by Alexandre Mattiussi in 2011.

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The new collection focuses on simple, well fitting clothing with an urban edge and echoes Ami's “positive ethos of optimism, carefree fun, and good vibes.” It includes tees, polos, sweatshirts, shirts, jumpers, cardigans, caps, beanies, iPhone covers and keyrings.

It prominently features a creative mash-up of both brands’ logos, which is an interesting development given the usual purity of the Smiley logo in its collaborations. In this case though, the Smiley sports Mattiussi's trademark Ami Paris red beanie hat.

“Inspired by the likes of Adidas, Stella McCartney and Yohji Yamamoto, we have always wanted to find a long-term partner to build the upper segment for our brand, rather than constantly search for new collaborations,” Smiley CEO Nicolas Loufrani said. 

He added: “Alexandre has perfectly understood this opportunity. The menswear business requires consistency in the story-telling and collection structure, rather than always running after the latest promotional fad. Because of our common values, we have co-created this unique new brand that is co-owned by Smiley and Ami Paris [for] the long term.”