Not everyone can make glittery Las Vegas look sophisticated and relaxed, but Mike Amiri is not just anyone.
The Los Angeles-based designer made the short trek to the Wynn Las Vegas — no coincidence that he’ll be opening one of his three planned stores in the resort’s retail wing later this year — to create a captivating film to showcase his men’s spring ‘22 collection.
With a waterfall and tropical flora as the backdrop and a soundtrack by South African DJ Black Coffee to “Wish You Were Here,” cinematologist Cara Striker filmed models donning a variety of easy, lounge-y looks that at first glance belied the craftsmanship Amiri infused into each piece. Case in point: loose summer knits were created from repurposed bandanas that were shredded and braided in a process that took four days to complete.
“The core of Amiri is that we’re very artistic. The outfits are very simple, the challenge is how to turn them into something elevated and you do that through the details,” he said.
Other artisanal techniques included ice tie-dyed trousers — another three-day process — paired with hand-woven lace shirts and braised patchwork trousers, coats and jeans. Patterns included palm trees, exotic foreign currency, rum bottles, hibiscus plants and romantic sunsets. Amiri also introduced a mid-top stadium sneaker and espadrilles to finish off the looks.
Although most of the collection was casual, the designer also took on tailoring — but in his own way. Softly constructed, elongated cotton boucle blazers, for example, were paired with a cabana set. “I pulled all the fusing out of the blazer and created it in a relaxed boucle that was an extra six inches long to look super lounge-y,” he explained.
Amiri said the collection, which also included fringe detailing, playful embroideries and a large selection of man bags, was intended as “a move toward being more comfortable while not giving up refinement and sophistication” — and he hit the mark.
