A chat with the founders of: Amì Milano
Last week we had the pleasure to sit down and have a chat with the founders of Amì Milano: Benedetta Vannucchi, Ginevra Gariboldi, and Martina Cabassi.
Amì Milano was founded in 2018 and today it’s making itself known with its characteristic bags and accessories of various kinds, such as keychains, wallets, shoulder straps and even home decor. What’s wonderful about every single piece is that it’s made following the principle of sustainability, something that Amì strongly values.
However, Benedetta, Ginevra, and Martina will tell us everything more in detail.
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1. How was your brand born? What are your ideals and your final goal?
B: So, at the start it was Ginevra and I, and one summer during our university years we were talking and ended up with the idea of coming up with something to differentiate ourselves from the other students, instead of only spending our time studying. One thing led to another, and we asked ourselves, why not create a product? Something that is in everyone’s reach, something special, peculiar, different. Once we were back in Milan, we went to see some fabrics and tried to make a model of a bag designed by us. It was around 20x10cm, and we brought it to the dressmaker. We ended up loving what it looked like, we thought it looked so cute. But we didn’t only want to make new products, we wanted something that had a positive impact on the environment. And then, thanks to my dad, who’s always been in the fashion industry, we thought, why not try to recycle some fabrics?
G: In the meantime, in the process of creating the prototype, we wanted to create something simple, for everyone, something that people liked, that could be worn by both a 12-year-old girl, and a lady in her older years. We also wanted to use the platform Instagram could offer us as much as we could, and Martina is amazing with social media as well as taking pictures. So, we thought, why not collaborate, the three of us? And actually make something out of this.
B: We were aiming for something that could send a message, and not just sell products which have no meaning to them.
G: After our first sale, we were shocked by how much we sold. And we weren’t ready. We had like 40 bags that sold in 10 minutes. But we had fun, and people like it, and when people appreciate what you do it hits you, like “Damn, they like something that I made?”. The presales were simpler, obviously, since all your closest friends and family are buying from you to support you, but after they bought 10 bags from you, they have to stop at a certain point. Now we managed to expand, we’re selling much more online. And all this started from something we wanted to do to just spend more time together, but we wanted to use our time wisely, with something useful, which we could have fun with as well.
2. Which role did sustainability play in the foundation of your brand?
Amì was born in 2018 and during that time we started hearing about recycling, reusing textile fabrics or any other ones to give them another life. And what we wanted to create was something simple, but especially something with which we could do our part in helping the environment. So, at the start, we were using exclusively waste fabrics, textile waste, since once we researched and informed ourselves about the issue, we found out that it was precisely textile waste that had a huge impact on the environment. This is due to the decomposition of this type of waste, which always had a certain amount of nylon, which came from petrol. And we knew this was a real issue in Milan, the capital of fashion, and Italy as a whole, which is a big fabric and clothing manufacturer. So, we started from there. We went to numerous textile manufacturers and various upholsterers, whom Benedetta’s mother, who’s an architect, worked with and was able to give us access to various fabrics. That’s when we decided to try to collaborate with other brands, saying “Look, if you give us your waste fabrics, we can make a bag out of them”, and this would also give them a lot of visibility. For example, with Lisa Corti, we were able to use her fabrics for the bags, and at first, she was the only one able to sell them, then we started as well. But in this way, we guaranteed ourselves a way into the shops of the city, maintaining in a way their own identity. In the meantime, we tried to get as much fabrics as we could and create various collections. The nice thing, that we didn’t even notice at the start, was that people were hyped about these micro-collections. Because with the fabrics we were given, we couldn’t realize huge productions quantities, we could offer 2-3 pieces, our maximum in an exceptional case was 7. And this goes completely against fast fashion, against the philosophy that’s everywhere now, where when you see something you like, you can get it immediately and at the minimum price.
This, however, made us realize the issue we had with production, because as we started to expand, we had more demand and less supply. We knew we had to develop our production process, so, besides the waste fabrics, we were looking for ones which had zero impact, so that when they decompose, they don’t damage the environment in any way. Examples of these are those which come from natural elements, such as orange peels, as well as organic cotton or jute.
3.How was it going through the pandemic? Did you experience more competition or unity/solidarity?
M: Given that during the pandemic everything stopped, we decided not to force anything and follow the rhythm of that historical moment. This was because with the production process of the bags, there were certain steps which had to be taken, which regarded looking for the fabrics, meaning the manufacturing, and involved other people’s movements and work. So, we decided to stop for a second and use that time to our advantage, to understand what wasn’t working and how to better ourselves. Since we couldn’t see each other, we talked on the phone a lot, the three of us, assessing which ones were our strengths that we could develop even further and which were our weaknesses. So, yes, everything had stopped, but we once we re-started we were stronger than before. It was a period of reflection, but of evolution as well.
Regarding to the competition, we didn’t experience it more than before, since being a brand with a certain philosophy behind it, we do not even try to compare ourselves with other brands which could produce much larger quantities than us. For us, competition is unhealthy and it’s not part of the values on which Amì is built on. So, we didn’t feel any more competition precisely because we are dealing with a philosophy and a product different from the rest.
4. How is Milan as a city in which to develop your own business? Do you find it challenging that there are many other emerging brands in Milan?
B: I think that as a city, Milan offers so many opportunities, so under that aspect, it’s really cool. There are so many events going on, so many people, and it’s also a host for many suppliers for you to find.
G: Especially in the surroundings of Milan, there are so many labs which have higher costs compared to other countries or to the South of Italy. When we looked into this, we found out that the production costs in the North are much higher than those in the South. But then again, following our principle of sustainability, we decided to minimize the transport waste, at least when it comes to transport in the production process. Obviously, it’s different if we’re talking about shipping. But doing this, we also get to help local businesses and, with all three of us being from Milan, there’s also growth opportunities in terms of networking, events, and markets. Even though we never considered local markets as part of our selling points.
M: And this is not because we have something against products sold in local markets, but just because, when selling such a limited product, we need to differentiate ourselves even when it comes to our selling points.
G: Exactly, we need to position our products in a way which aligns with the uniqueness which comes with each piece. So, we organized our own sale events, which can be considered more niche, but still available to everyone, with the only difference in the fact that you’re not going to see hundreds of other brands, but rather 2 or 3 more which reflect our own values and match well with Amì.
B: In regards to other emerging brands, yes, Milan does host many new brands. However, even when we see a brand which had designs very similar to ours, we try to adapt the mentality of “Okay, so people like our things, they work”. We have to see it as a positive thing.
G: Martina especially always tells us to not get mad, to see it, indeed, as something positive. That it means that people like what we do. So, we try to go along with this vibe.
5. Which role did social media play in expanding your brand?
M: Once we did a few sales, and once we understood that our product is liked by girls and women of all ages, we decided to start using social media for the same reason everyone is using it now: to reach as many people as possible. This was also the only way to make our products known outside of Milan. And we could say that up to now it has worked out well for us: we have orders coming from Rome, Florence, Turin, as well as other places in Italy, and with each order we realize that through platforms such as Facebook and Instagram we actually are able to reach many more people and to make our brand known. The goal, of course, is to expand globally, but we’re in no rush, we’re doing everything step by step and now we’re trying to get the most out of our social media presence. We’re taking this slowly, we don’t have any goals which we have to reach right away, especially given our philosophy which would make it impossible. But we’re happy to be making small steps forward.
G: And now landed on TikTok as well! We went from being 25 to feeling like 16-year-olds again, but we’re having fun.
6. What’s the creation process behind your products like?
B: Since we’re using a particular type of fabric, and a philosophy based on the value of sustainability, when we talk about the creation process, we’re not only talking about the production of the product itself, but rather the research that comes beforehand on the available fabrics. After having done this, we can understand what the final product can look like. This is because so many fabrics have such different compositions, so a certain type might be well suited only for a certain type of bag. So, what comes before the creation of any product of ours, is the carefully conducted research regarding its materials.
7. What is the future of ‘Amì’?
G: We’re always looking for ways in which we can grow and how we can expand our production, since, as we said, sometimes our demand outweighs our supply. We want to reach as many people as possible as soon as we can, to make ourselves known, and we’d love to become an actual international brand and increase the quantity of our products, not restricting them to one or two models each, having more variety. We’d like to become more structured as a brand and even when expanding to be able to still follow our principle of sustainability, creating a brand helpful for the environment that doesn’t damage anyone while achieving its mission. We really do value sustainability, and we know that many other brands do as well, but we don’t only care about it simply to follow the latest trends or for marketing purposes, it’s a highly significant issue for us since we’re aware of the fact that if people don’t start including sustainability in their projects, there’s not going to be a future. It also spreads our message, if people want to copy us or our product, they can always learn to create something of their own, which can be better than the rest if it’s sustainable. For example, if you and I are competing with a similar product, but yours has zero impact on the environment, then you’re ten times ahead of me.
8. What advice would you give to those who want to start their own brand?
B: Surely to not be scared and to just dive in, especially if one feels a certain necessity in themselves to do it, it’s right to follow it, to satisfy it. It’s also true, unfortunately, that you never know how things may go, and, I mean, all three of us have other jobs besides Amì, but I think there’s nothing more satisfying than having something of your own, especially when you see that people like it, when you receive positive feedback. The satisfaction is huge, it’s amazing.
G: And obviously it’s not only an uphill process. Once you’re close with someone, working with friends is not always a piece of cake. It’s a beautiful journey which ties you together, but there are many fights and differences of opinion of the inside of the brand. But one should never give up. You need to keep going even when things don’t go in the way you wanted. It’s a bit like life, really, it’s a process full of ups and downs.
M: I’d also like to add that you should never compare yourself to other people, cause once you do, it’s over. I mean, if you want to do something, do it in your own way and don’t look at the others, what they’re doing, how much they’re making. It’s important to focus on a goal and respect it in the best possible way.
G: Then there’s the whole speech about doing it with passion, it should be something you like and in which you believe in. But you really have to believe in it, cause it’s not simple. For example, when you’re young, you might have another job, you might have other priorities, so if you’re dedicating your time to something, you have to believe in it and be passionate about it, cause if not, it’s going to get heavy. Now we’re still in the process of reinvesting everything and in that phase where we still want to grow, so we’re doing everything we can cause Amì is a part of us. It’s always “Benni, Ginny and Marti with Amì”. If they took it away it would be like losing a piece of us, which has been making us proud for the past four years. It’s like our pride, our baby. So, having passion is so important. And if you’re doing it with people, to surround yourself with people who make it enjoyable. Cause it should be something truly beautiful.
Milanesi a Milano is happy to follow Amì’s journey and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for these girls who have shown us the importance of giving a second life to materials, and who have shared with us their beautiful and inspiring ideals.
