“The art and universe of Jean-Paul Goude are undeniably part of what encouraged me to become a creator” says Ami designer Alexandre Mattiussi, unveiling, exclusively for i-D France, a campaign by the photographer that’s emblematic of the advertising of the 90s. At the heart of the images: the Ami de Coeur, one of the symbols of the brand and its warm vibe, found on sweaters, shirts and sweatshirts that its customers have been snapping up for several years now. This ‘A’ surmounted by a heart is one of the signatures of Alexandre, which he scribbled as a child on his sketches, and which has since taken over the streets of Paris. A joyful allegory of all that Ami represents in the eyes of its founder, and of what constitutes his strength: love, friendship, the unifying value of naive symbols recognizable by all.
As a backdrop: Paris, of course, inseparable from Ami. A convivial, festive and humorous Paris, like that of Jean-Paul Goude, whose colorful campaigns have shaped the imaginations entire generations. For those who grew up in Paris in the last few decades, his images are almost part of the collective unconscious. They inhabited the streets and corridors of the metro, the pages of our mothers’ catalogs, the television commercials of our childhood. In the Parisian fashion landscape, l’Ami de Coeur has the same kind of effect. For this campaign, Alexandre Mattiussi becomes one of his happy characters and flies over Paris aboard a generous heart that flies to the top of the Eiffel Tower. “It was important to share a positive message, a message of hope, friendship and kindness,” Alexandre continues. “The atmosphere is cheerful and full of energy, exactly what we all need at the moment.”
“It was love at first sight!” says Jean-Paul Goude of his meeting with the creator, with whom he shares contagious humor and the sincere conviction that the simplest values are those that carry us the furthest. “There is a happy and fun atmosphere around the Ami de Coeur, which attracted me from the start. And this intrinsically Parisian spirit, timeless, which is both festive and welcoming. A spirit that goes beyond fashion and what it represents for the capital. Through this campaign and the capsule it illustrates, Ami and Jean-Paul Goude remind us above all of why we love Paris: because you only need to walk its streets to feel loved.
