First award of the AMI x IFM Entrepreneurship Prize
For the first edition of the AMI x IFM Entrepreneurship Prize, the jury awarded Guillaume Hiriat Carriat (Founder of ATXI – Incubateur IFM), Leopolda Contaux-Bellina (Founder of Sed Nove Studio – IFM Incubator), Arita Krasniqi (MA Accessory Design student) ankd Maria Kopytko (MA Accessory Design student) for their project ATXI x Sed Nove Studio. They will be mentored for the duration of one year, provided in turn by each member of the designating jury.
Léa Germano (Founder of Studio Paillette – IFM Incubator), Joséphine Lebourlier, Yao Du and Silvia D'Errico (MSc Luxury), and Camille Fouet and Bath Matongo (MS Management) were awarded a special prize by the jury.
At the end of 2021, a call for projects was launched to approximatively 50 students and entrepreneurs from IFM's Fashion Entrepreneurship Center. At the end of this first phase, 10 projects were shortlisted for the AMI x IFM Prize: 7 collaborative projects led by joint teams of entrepreneurs and students, and 3 projects led by students only. For 6 months, the 10 groups were challenged by experts on their concept, digital strategy, marketing plan, and economic model.
The result of these collaborations between students and entrepreneurs are innovative, sustainable, and ethical projects such as a popup dedicated to clothing rental, football shirts to support French women soccer players, a 4-meter carpet in upcycled leather, or even a clothing line adapted to women’s body suffering from breast cancer.
This prize underlines the dedication and attention that AMI pays to students, through Nicolas Santi-Weil, its CEO, and Alexandre Mattiussi, its Founder and Creative Director. Their commitment to transmission is a symbol of their deep attachment to the founding values of the brand — friendship, sharing, inclusion.
AMI takes a stand to support the future generations of fashion professionals, through an educational initiative designed to encourage and develop entrepreneurship within the industry. Its objective is to generate a space where the expertise of professionals will contribute to affirm the talents and skills of students by encouraging them to propose and develop a professional project of their own.
« A large part of AMI’s success stems from an innovative association of great style and bold entrepreneurship. This approach perfectly finds its expression in AMI x IFM Entrepreneurship Prize. Together, AMI and Institut Français de la Mode are committed to involve young people, to encourage them to initiate the decision process, by raising awareness for the limitless opportunities they can generate as entrepreneurs. Initiating this project, giving free reign to the entrepreneurial spirit of the next generation of leaders, is a huge source of pride for me. », said Nicolas Santi-Weil, CEO, AMI.
“Supporting entrepreneurs in fashion is at the heart of the mission of Institut Français de la Mode. I am grateful for this partnership with AMI, which allows us to showcase the innovative ideas and concepts of this new generation. The refreshing and benevolent viewpoint of such an exceptional jury of committed artists gives a very special dimension to this prize. », concludes Xavier Romatet, Dean of IFM.
The jury of the prize included personalities from the world of creation, art, music and cinema, all friends of the House — among them, this year:
- Nicolas Santi-Weil – CEO, AMI; Business Angel
- Alexandre Mattiussi – Founder and Creative Director, AMI
- Sarah Andelman – Founder, Just an Idea
- Leila Slimani – Journalist and writer
- Elisha Karmitz – Managing Director, mk2 Group
- Max Sokolinski – Author, Composer
- Pierre-Alexandre M'Pelé – Head of Editorial Content, GQ France
- Deborah Papiernik – SVP, New Business & Strategic Alliances, Ubisoft
- Delphine Plisson – Founder, Maison Plisson
- Irma Pany – Singer, Songwriter
About AMI x IFM Entrepreneurship Prize
Set to become an annual event, the first edition of the Ami x IFM Entrepreneurship Prize was awarded on June 29th, 2022. The transversal award involves each of the courses offered by Institut Français de la Mode (from Management and Design masters to craftsmanship courses): every student can participate. After a pre-selection process carried out by IFM, the selected projects were presented and the award winner will benefit from a privileged mentorship for the duration of one year, provided in turn by each member of the jury.
About ATXI x Sed Nove Studio
Atxi is a Basque ready-to-wear brand that includes a leather goods range. Sed Nove Studio is an innovative brand based on a “métier d’art” dedicated to leather. The core project is to merge their savoir-faire and create a high-end capsule collection around a few items developed with Sed Nove's craftsmanship and ATXI’s creative direction. The designs are assembled using laser cut technique in a pattern that remind the ATXI signature logo, using no glue and no stitching.
