Ami Paris bets on childrenswear to unlock the next growth chapter

Ami Paris has launched its first childrenswear line, Ami Kids, extending the brand's signature Ami de Cœur heart emblem into a new category as the Sequoia Capital-backed Paris label looks for its next growth lever after several years of rapid expansion.

The collection is a wardrobe of unisex essentials, featuring knitwear, hoodies, shirts, t-shirts, sweatpants, cardigans, beanies and caps, crafted in cotton and wool and built around Ami's established colour palette of grey, beige, green, navy, light blue and black, with signature striped detailing. It is available now through Ami Paris' own boutique network and on amiparis.com, with no wholesale distribution mentioned in the launch.

Founded in 2011 by designer Alexandre Mattiussi, Ami Paris has grown from a niche menswear label into a global brand generating hundreds of millions of euros in annual revenue, expanding from 35 million euros in 2019 to 230 million euros in 2022 with a 300 million euros target set for 2023, according to reports. Sequoia Capital China took a majority stake in the company in 2021, backing chief executive Nicolas Santi-Weil's push into womenswear and international retail. The brand now operates roughly 75 standalone stores alongside more than 700 multi-brand retail points in over 100 countries, as previously reported by FashionUnited.

A calculated bet

After what Santi-Weil has described as a period of "hyper-growth," Ami Paris signalled a shift toward "sustainable expansion and brand consistency" in comments to FashionUnited last year, with the CEO saying the label wants to "strengthen the foundations" rather than chase further rapid scaling.

Dior's Baby Dior, Burberry Kids, Moncler Enfant, Gucci Kids and Fendi Kids have all built out childrenswear as an extension of their core lines for years, generally positioned around gifting, special occasions and family-oriented brand loyalty. Ami's move follows a similar logic to those competitors.