Parisian label AMI parades models by the Seine for fashion week

PARIS (Reuters) - French fashion label AMI pushed the boat out for its latest fashion show in Paris on Saturday - hosting its catwalk display on the banks of the Seine river at dusk.

The brand, founded just under 10 years ago by designer Alexandre Mattiussi, is one of a reduced number presenting collections with physical events this season, after some labels opted for digital displays and videos for Paris Fashion Week.

Models, including some regular Parisians, paraded AMI’s latest looks on the quay by the river, as guests looked on from a barge, surrounded by Paris’s romantic bridges where passersby stopped to watch. Multiple screens inside the boat allowed the audience to have a closer look at the runway.

The collection was the first major womenswear one for the brand, which first erupted on the scene with men’s clothing.

Looks included long black dresses, beige suit ensembles, checkered shorts and pencil skirts, while several models wore ruffled pastel dresses with a Pierrot-style collar.

“We need to celebrate a little bit, when you have this kind of crisis, it’s very easy to fall into a kind of depression,” Mattiussi said in an interview before the show, adding he was keen to return to the catwalk despite the coronavirus pandemic.

“I feel like there is a challenge and responsibility to look up and look at the light and maybe to participate in this kind of ‘beginning again”.”

Masked guests, who were offered alcohol gel upon arrival - with 140 in attendance compared to the 600 or AMI might usually invite - included “Game of Thrones” actress Maisie Williams, who also watched Christian Dior’s show earlier in the week. French actress Emmanuelle Beart also attended.