Meet Amédée Paris, the new luxury scarf brand that's creating the ultimate Parisian souvenir with a worldly outlook.
Fashion — Mar 05
Scrolling through our social media feeds, you may have noticed the fun, geometrically printed scarves gracing Olivia's latest looks. The scarf brand is the unique Amédée Paris, a purveyor of "conscious luxury," that launched on OliviaPalermo.com earlier this year. Committed to crafting eco-responsible products with high-quality textiles and design, the brand is as discerning about their wool as they are in selecting skilled French and Italian artisans—making them truly one-of-a-kind in the accessories market. Transparency with the origins of Merino wool, especially as it is a natural and renewable fiber, is an important topic within the fashion industry, so offering products luxuriously crafted of such is a positive step forward.
As Paris Fashion Week comes to a close, we had the opportunity to speak with Déborah Berger, the Founder of Amédée Paris, to learn how the brand began and to hear more about their innovation and commitment to ethically sourced materials.
Tell us about how Amédée Paris started.
I originally joined Amédée Paris' parent company Chargeurs (a French textile company) to develop an eco-traceable sourcing label of Merino wool. I invited select journalists to discover our farms in Patagonia and gifted them scarves made in Italy out of this ultrafine wool. The journalists adored the scarves and told my boss, Chargeurs' CEO Michael Fribourg, that we should create a brand to sell these scarves. That's how Amédée was born. Pure serendipity. Nothing was planned.
What would you say defines a signature Amédée Paris piece?
Our scarves are what happens when ethical and traceable production meets pure creativity.
The company is very forward-thinking with the use of blockchain technology. What is this, and why is it important for consumers to be able to trace back the origin of your product?
Very few brands mention the origin of their yarn, let alone the source of their raw materials. I have personally always been frustrated when traceability is only around the final steps of the manufacturing process. Amédée Paris was born directly from the importance of complete, ethically sourced and traceable and Merino wool. A blockchain is a list of records, and because we have all of this traceability information available, it was only natural for us to guarantee it to be shared via modern technology. In 2020 our products will contain a QR code, so the consumer can see full origins—from the raw materials to the finished product.
The scarf names include many geographical inspirations. How do you come up with them, and do you consider Amédée Paris to be a "global" brand?
At the beginning of the 20th century, Chargeurs operated as a luxury cruise company, so travel is rooted in Amédée's DNA. Though we are France-based, inspiration is drawn from all aspects of our global supply chain. We would be nothing without our sheep and their farmers in Argentina, Tasmania in Australia, and New Zealand, plus our artisans in Italy and the South of France. Then there's also the influence of global cities like New York and Shanghai. Each product name comes from these great places and more.
Tell us about the screen-printing process. What impact does this technique have on the design?
Screen-printing is an age-old craft that allows for the dye to create deep, sharp color on both sides of the wool, which is not as likely to be achieved from newer, digitally printed techniques. Through screen-printing, each Amédée Paris scarf carries the most luxurious qualities from top to bottom. Our screen printer is located in France, in the Lyon region, and perpetuates one of the finest printing techniques in the world.
Why is it essential for the brand to support and collaborate with young talents, like the recent capsule with calligrapher Nicholas Ouchenir?
Amédée Paris is a brand equally focused on eco-responsibility as well as being creative. By working with new talent, we're able to take our savoir-faire and marry that with the creativity of young artists to produce one-of-a-kind designs. We're also about being transparent and inclusive. Promoting and partnering with young creators allows us to take their talent and marry it with that of our passionate farmers and skilled artisans to make timeless, unique pieces.
Why are you excited about partnering with Olivia?
Olivia Palermo is a role model. She is a strong and innovative woman, a leader, an entrepreneur, and (of course) a fashion icon. She inspires me so much and is actually the first fashion personality I followed on Instagram. It's a dream come true to see her wear our Amédée Paris scarves so beautifully.
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