Amandine and Bruno met each other in 2015 and launched the brand Suki Paris, born from a combination of their desires and passion for design and craftsmanship, but also their simple lifestyle.

Travel contributes to the signature look of the brand’s pieces that intertwine an ancestral know-how from South America with an ethical approach for products with fine design. We interviewed the founder, Amandine Simon, and the designer spoke to us about mindful consumption

Can you introduce yourself and your brand

I am a trained musician, a violinist to be precise, and I discovered leather goods during a trip to South America where I started to work with leather craftsmen, upholsterers and various other craftsmen. This is where the imprint on our products comes from. Our pieces are made using 100% vegetable tanning and we have added marquetry to our last few pieces. Our approach is fundamentally eco-friendly and qualitative, sustainability is at the heart of our brand identity as we create timeless long-lasting items. It has almost been 5 years since I founded Suki with my partner. It truly is a family story: we live on the Seine, our slow life corresponds with our business! We are inspired by the 1970s for really graphic designs for our pieces, blending with the sleek lines of the bag's contours. We are trying to create our identity via decoration and leather goods technologies, which is a small line of bags in a modern ethnic style.

How many times have you attended Premiere Classe? What opportunities has the trade-show brought you?

It’s our first time! We have moved upmarket thanks to our positioning and our selection of leathers and the finishes. We are searching for a new clientele base and Premiere Classe is the perfect place to gain access to the international market, and we are very satisfied. We have sold a lot to Italy and to the Asian market. It is the perfect place to display your collection to gain new visibility and credibility. Our feedback is very positive, even if everything has to be confirmed in the coming weeks!

An anecdote, memory or encounter from Premiere Classe?

Finally, we managed to stay pretty serious, we were very focused! It is really impressive having access to such a vast network, concentrated in record time. This allows us to get to know our market, how our products work, and to launch ourselves towards the future development of our brand.

What advice would you give to a young designer who is starting out and wants to exhibit at Premiere Classe for the first time?

Be really selective with the products that you present, avoid having too big of a range which would drown out your message, refine your brand DNA so that key players’ can focus on it and finally, stay relaxed and keep stress away! You also obviously need to create a network of clients, buyers and collaborators, always maintaining a professional and creative perspective.

For you, Premiere Classe is…

Rain and sunshine.

What changes have you noticed in the fashion industry? For you, what is the future of fashion?

In terms of buyers, I don’t know if much has changed there, because it may not be their priority yet unfortunately. However, on the designer side of things it is very active, fashion has to make an effort to reconcile the social, business, aesthetics and rational consumption. There is still work to do, but if brands are joining the movement there is hope!