Interview with Amelie Brick, Co-founder and CEO of Apparis

It takes a uniquely innovative person to quit their job at Louis Vuitton (leaving behind their successful, stable career at landmark fashion brands also including Hermes and Chanel as well) and start their own faux fur company from the ground up. Born and raised on a tiny island in the Caribbean and originally from France, Amelie’s unique upbringing meant that she didn’t really know what was possible for her and her future. Despite how linear her successful career may appear, Amelie didn’t always know what she wanted to do or who she wanted to be.

Growing up in a generation without the internet, Amelie found inspiration in the pop culture that was most accessible to her: music. As a teenager, Amelie loved music and whenever someone she knew would travel she would always ask them to bring her back a CD. American music inspired her dream to live in the US one day. Reflecting back on her choices, Amelie reveals how tiny her initial worldview was having grown up on a small island. Looking at the map at age 20, Michigan seemed like it was close enough to New York that she decided to accept a scholarship at Michigan State University where she pursued a degree in math and finance. She finally fulfilled her childhood dream of living in New York City after graduating. She now resides in New York City with her husband and two kids.

Though she didn’t initially imagine pursuing a career in fashion, Amelie always gravitated towards creative pathways. She fondly remembers admiring her mom’s style growing up. She refers to her mom as her role model who in the 90s always dressed up for work, wearing pant suits, big shoulders, and lots of makeup and fragrance.

At the start of her career, at one of her first internships, Amelie recalls receiving advice from her boss about pursuing a job that she’s truly passionate about. Since then she has made sure to keep this advice in mind and only take on jobs that she genuinely feels passionate about. Amelie always liked numbers and math, but she also loved creativity, art, and fashion. For her, doing finance in fashion brought together her two passions perfectly. Amelie concluded that “Sometimes it's not a straight chute: you can love being creative but you can also love science and math and bring them together in a career”

Getting Started…

Despite accepting a job at a prestigious advertising firm in Paris called Publicis, Amelie never gave up on her ambitions of living and working in New York City. Determined to change her fate, Amelie tirelessly sent resumes in hopes of landing a job opportunity in New York. Her persistence finally paid off when the day before her college graduation she received an unexpected phone call from Hermes in New York. Without hesitation, Amelie accepted the offer, packed her bags, and moved to New York the day after she graduated. Her bold decision to fearlessly pursue her dreams paved the way for her future success as a female fashion founder.

Working Corporate → Starting her own

As much as she loved working in the corporate fashion world (and the incredibly smart and talented people such organizations attract), Amelie always knew that she wanted to take the entrepreneurial path one day. While her corporate experience shaped her in many ways and prepared her for the journey ahead, it was not a linear journey from working corporate to starting her own company. Amelie knew she wanted to create something, but did not have any clear idea of what she wanted to create. Over the course of three years, Amelie worked on several projects with friends who were designers before she eventually founded Apparis in 2016.

When she eventually founded Apparis, it was not even a faux fur brand, but a multi-brand platform just to test products. Amelie and her co-founder, Lauren, started out by buying 5 dresses, 2 pants, and 10 pairs of shoes just to test it out. Amelie reflects back and shares that they knew 2 things with confidence:

1. They wanted to disrupt the fashion industry in some way.

2. All their products would be vegan. Lauren and Amelie felt that using animal fabrics was neither necessary nor something they could relate to.

From there, they were able to share a pop up shop with friends in Brooklyn, and eventually caught the attention of Bloomingdale's who wanted to see their collection. At the time, they only had one style of faux fur jacket in 5 colors. They quickly stitched together a collection, and got keys to a friend’s store to present their collection, since they didn’t even have an office at the time. Soon after, Sak’s also took notice of their brand.

Amelie’s journey taught me that success is not always a linear journey, and requires persistence, hard work, and risk-taking. More specifically, I am inspired by Amelie’s fearlessness to just get started and to go for it. I think a lot of people dwell on possibilities and wait for things to be perfect before pursuing their dreams and aspirations. The truth is that whatever it is will not be perfect, especially right when you start out. Achieving your goals and aspirations requires a lot of hard work and perseverance.

Sustainability Mission

Working at incredibly successful businesses with craftsmanship and history, Amelie also witnessed the dark side of the fashion industry: the social and environmental consequences of it. Visiting factories, workshops, and tanneries gave her a firsthand look at the negative effects of the industry’s practices. While visiting tanneries, she experienced the terrible impact of the chemicals used in the tanning process to transform the cowhide into a leather product. She created Apparis with the goal of disrupting the fashion industry and creating a brand that did not use animal fabrics, which often involve harmful practices.

Amelie’s commitment to social impact and sustainability extends beyond Apparis’ use of animal-free fabrics. The brand also places a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion within their team.

Female Empowerment Through Apparis

Amelie is most proud that female leadership shines through in every aspect of her brand.

She shared, “to me it's very clear when you look at any brand when it’s creatively led by women versus by men. I think the intent is a little bit different. I think it’s very clear when you see Apparis that it’s not some guys that are just like let’s make something sexy. Apparis is fun, it has an attitude, and not only an inclusive message, we do a lot of extended sizes and we are very inclusive in the way we market our product, but there’s also empowerment. If you’re wearing a fuzzy pink or yellow coat it gives you this confidence, you make a statement for you and for others. So that’s really what we wanted, to empower women through fashion.”

Amelie values having a female co-founder who shares her vision and values, which is evident in their all-women management team and focus on work-life balance. In light of this, Amelie is a strong advocate for increasing female representation in leadership positions. As a woman in the fashion industry, Amelie understands the significance of the issue, especially considering that only 23% of executives around the world are women. This issue is particularly pressing given the persistent gender gap in the startup world. Despite women-led startups performing just as well, if not better, than those led by men, they continue to face significant barriers to funding and growth. For example, in the United States, startups with all-women teams only received 1.9% of the total venture capital funding last year. As a female founder, Amelie challenges the status quo and hopes to empower more women to succeed in entrepreneurship.

Amelie’s Advice To Her Younger Self

Amelie shared, “looking back, I would tell my younger self that there is nothing you can’t do, despite your background or where you come from. My background did not prepare me for the life that I have now, but I made it happen anyways. Go after what you want.

Another piece of advice I have to share is to ask for what you want in the workplace, whether it’s a promotion, a raise, or a new tool to do your job better. Asking shows confidence in your skills and your value to the company, and you won’t get anything if you don’t go for it. Men are often more inclined to just ask. So don’t be afraid to ask for what you want and make it happen.”

Key takeaways:

1. Be persistent and resilient! If you want something, go after it and don’t stop when it doesn’t work out.

   1. Whether you face a lack of response in your job applications or feel uncertain about initiating your own venture, the best thing you can do is just start and don’t give up easily. Keep trying.

2. You can combine your interests in unexpected ways

   1. Despite the common belief that you need to choose one passion, Amelie’s story shows that you can combine two seemingly different things to forge a fulfilling career.

3. Making an impact can actually be stylish

   1. By championing sustainable fashion and promoting diversity in leadership, Amelie has demonstrated that it’s possible to combine style with social impact

   2. Her success has dispelled the notion that brands must partake in harmful practices to produce stylish products

Amelie has set an example for the industry to follow, inspiring a new wave of socially conscious and ethically responsible fashion brands.

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