Amidst a swollen sea of white roses, anthuriums, and artificial candles, Mike Amiri made his official Paris debut today. “You don’t want to be ridiculous but you do want to evoke a bit of emotion,” he said, sleeker and more gregarious than when we met for a showroom visit last season. “I wanted people to walk in and have the reaction, ‘I wasn’t expecting him to go this far.’ I wanted to give the collection its best chance.”
Or else, take a chance, for while his music video–esque vigil made for a curious opening salvo, there’s no doubt these rock star, streetwear looks were designed to kick up his cred several notches. To do so, he considered details that attested to workmanship and top-shelf pricing: the hand-painted python, the red velvet tuxedo strung with chains, the shawl collar in studded double-faced leather. Other details attested to all-day attitude: bandanas and chains wrapped around suede boots, blanket coats, surf-inspired separates, and sparkle-dusted denim. And let’s not forget the detail attesting to cult-film vampires: A vintage T-shirt featuring Kiefer Sutherland from The Lost Boys, utterly defaced with strass. For a label aiming to feed the fashion whims of athletes, and sell-through imperatives of retailers, these glam-grunge details will hit all kinds of sweet spots.
Still, despite receiving coveted New York Times real estate right before fashion week, Amiri remains a question mark. The made-in-Los Angeles, hands-on manufacturing is admirable; the repackaging of Hedi Slimane’s Saint Laurent less so. The look might translate from Venice Beach to the Bowery—and perhaps beyond to the Middle East and Asia. Here in Paris, however, while legs may be skinny enough for his hand-distressed jeans, few guys would dare to do glitter (likewise the women, for that matter, in light of the corresponding capsule). But let’s ride this wave and see where Amiri takes us. “It becomes more real as you get more traction and you get more courage to be audacious about your dreams,” he said, with just the right amount of wide-eyed ambition. “Just seeing this, I’m almost thinking braver and bigger.”
