Even if you’ve never met Mike Amiri you can tell that the man doesn’t lack confidence. The clothes he designs will show you that.
The Los Angeles native began his career in fashion hand-making stage pieces for West Coast rockstars like Axl Rose and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, before eventually starting his own eponymous label in 2014, allowing us mere mortals access to a frontman’s wardrobe.
Amiri soon became known for its distinct design signature seeped in 1990s counterculture nostalgia—grungy flannel shirts, skinny jeans, leather jackets and graphic tees. Now, as the men’s fashion aesthetic continues to evolve, so does Mike Amiri as a designer. Here, the founder and creative director speaks to Esquire Middle East at the opening of his first store in the region…
What is the elevator pitch for someone new to the Amiri brand?
It is about self-expression, character and individuality. Built on notions of fine craftmanship and art, we take traditional methods of design and rework them within our contemporary vision. Through our craft we elevate L.A.’s distinctive style to luxury.
You mentioned that your brand is quintessential L.A. What is it about it you feel works in the Middle East market?
Amiri is authentically L.A., and everything we do and create is expressed through the language of our home city. I find that people relate to this spirit due to the organic nature of our creativity and craft. We channel L.A.’s culture, communities and history through our collections and through them, customers are able to experience our lifestyle. We also pride ourselves on working with local artisans and artists.
You previously told Esquire that your favourite places in the world “all have palm trees with a cool breeze.” Why is that essential to you?
They remind me of home. They remind me the beauty of nature and being a free spirit. There’s a special aesthetic and atmosphere around tropical nature and warm climates that makes me think of youthful exuberance and summer nights that never seem to end. In L.A., the weather dictates a lot of how we dress, it lends itself to a relaxed, laidback style that Amiri embodies.
What pieces are you seeing as particular favourites in this market?
For the opening of the Dubai store, we created an exclusive capsule collection decorated with the region’s traditional date palm. Consisting of silk shirting, shorts and jersey sweats, we looked towards hand-illustrated botanical drawings and rearranged them to they fit with our silhouettes, creating these incredible visuals. We also have our new season Malibu boots, which are based on the idea of waking up near the beach and throwing on something comfy, combining that with the shape of a chunky sneaker gives the shape a really cool sporty attitude.
How did you feel about the direction men’s style is taking?
Menswear is in a really great moment, there’s currently a lot of choice and freedom in the market centred around personality and spirit, about curating your wardrobe in tune with your own sensibilities. Within our collections, we continue to experiment with notions of traditional menswear by retaining that extremely high quality of craftsmanship and tailoring, but loosening the codes for today’s man. I believe things are moving towards a blend, where people are wanting to be a bit more dressed up and comfortable at the same time. For me, sophistication no longer means done up – it’s a flow, a union of casual and craft.
What has been the biggest challenge with starting your own brand?
As a brand based in L.A., we had to carve out our own distinctive identity outside of the established fashion capitals, and create our own place within the fashion landscape. We’re now extremely proud to show our collections in Paris alongside the most storied fashion houses in the world, and have stores and stockists across the world.
What is next for Amiri?
We continue to push our craft and explore new narratives as a brand. We have more store openings planned and a lot of really exciting projects on the horizon, starting with the Autumn-Winter 2023 runway show in Paris in January 2023.
AMIRI is now open in The Dubai Mall, Dubai.