VETMA X YOFFDOG

INTERVIEW :

Aki : Can you quickly introduce yourself in a few words?

Hugo : My name is Hugo, I’m 22 years old, and I live in the north of France, in Lille. I’ve loved creating ever since I was given a laptop more than 10 years ago. I started by making YouTube videos, playing around with Paint, then Publisher, then Photoshop… Testing, experimenting, and often making mistakes along the way. Naturally very reserved and home-oriented, I’ve always found it easier to talk to a camera than to people.

Aki : Can you tell us about the origins of Amoses? What pushed you to create this brand?

Hugo : During the 2020 lockdown, I started feeling restless in my room. So, I got my hands on some t-shirt mockups and started designing dozens of them. The idea of creating a brand wasn’t clear at first I just wanted to experiment. Then came the question: What if I found a brand name? The next step… How do you sell t-shirts? After long nights of research, I realized it was actually possible. Even though the independent brand community wasn’t as big as it is today, I told myself: What do I have to lose?

Aki : What is the concept and identity of Amoses? How would you describe the brand's DNA?

Hugo : Amoses is about translating all the themes that fascinate me into clothing. I love a wide range of styles, movements, and influences, whether in art, cinema, or music. I couldn’t see myself sticking to just one direction I preferred to carve my own path, even if it meant zigzagging. So, the DNA of Amoses is exploration: inventing stories, creating narratives, traveling both physically and spiritually to broaden our vision and evolve. What excites me most about this process is the element of surprise. Like in a cartoon, you never know where your favorite character will end up next.

Aki : Amoses has recently blown up what was the key moment that took the brand to another level ?

Hugo : I think the key moment was when we managed to establish our brand’s identity in the eyes of the public. Telling a different story with every collection takes time and budget. In January 2023, I decided to invest most of my savings into a photo and video shoot like I had never done before. On top of a piece that was very well received, it skyrocketed sales. In March 2023, we sold over 800 sweatshirts in just a few days… It was crazy. From that moment, I had a foundation to build on. I was able to keep working, surround myself with the right people, and seize new opportunities like being featured by French YouTuber JOYCA, which gave us an incredible platform to showcase the brand.

Aki : How are you handling this sudden rise in popularity? Have there been any unexpected challenges?

Hugo : At that moment, the real challenge was continuing to develop the brand while also keeping up with my studies. Balancing both commitments required a lot of discipline and consistency. I finished my studies in June 2024, but before that, I was constantly juggling everything dealing with logistics, production, and customer service issues while sitting in class, with customers messaging me from everywhere. That was the real challenge: finding balance.

Aki : Amoses heavily focuses on community and storytelling. Was this planned from the beginning, or did it develop over time?

Hugo : Yes, and it was actually even more extreme in the beginning I kept changing the logo, the branding… I was obsessed with constantly transforming everything. Over time, I learned to preserve the core identity while making strategic adjustments. Today, we intensify the storytelling with more scripted videos and immersive narratives. We want to create real adventures.

Aki : How do you see Amoses evolving in the coming years? Are there any new directions you'd like to explore?

Hugo : With the team, we push ourselves hard we’re ambitious. Our collections are coming out faster, with more pieces and in larger quantities. We want to scale up. I draw a lot of inspiration from cinema and music to imagine what Amoses will become in the future. My goal is to design bolder pieces to explore ideas that could be considered more "fashion-forward" while still keeping our clothing accessible to everyone. We want to take Amoses to an even more cinematic and textile-focused level, and I love that direction.

Aki : What was the turning point that made you want to get into fashion?

Hugo : Fashion is a tough industry. At first, it wasn’t even my goal I just wanted to share my creations and sell my visuals by telling stories around them. It was only later that I really understood what fashion was, and yes, I knew I wanted to be part of it. I was never drawn to fashion school or anything like that. My goal was to go as far as possible by learning on my own through the internet and then surrounding myself with the right people like Charles, Amoses' designer, who has helped me grow.

Aki : Many young people want to launch their own brand today. What advice would you give them to stand out?

Hugo : Build your ideas, take your time. It’s not a race. And most importantly… learn to create clothing, not just TikToks. You have to want to design clothes, not just have a brand because it’s trendy or socially cool. You need to understand what you’re getting into and learn to do everything. Most of the work isn’t nearly as glamorous as what you see on social media.

Aki :In your opinion, what makes a brand truly impactful and able to define its era?

Hugo : There’s no one formula for making an impact. The key is to follow your own direction rather than just chasing trends or trying to resemble others. The most important thing is to stay true to your ideas. If you find your audience and manage to keep them engaged, you’ve already made an impact on your own scale and that’s a real success.

Aki :If you could collaborate with any creator or designer, who would you choose and why?

Hugo : We have several collaborations planned for this year, and what I can say is that we want to work with people who truly make sense for us, both personally and professionally. We’re not looking to collaborate with a big-name designer or luxury house. That would be impressive, of course, but right now, it wouldn’t feel authentic. We prefer to collaborate with those who are close to us.

Aki :What has been the most rewarding experience you've had with Amoses? And the most challenging one?

Hugo : The most rewarding part has been getting our own space, hiring a team, paying salaries, and knowing that Amoses is my full-time job. The biggest challenge has been facing problems that could have made us collapse. Because when you take risks, you get closer to the edge. The key is learning how to manage a crisis and take a step back from your decisions.

Aki :Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years? Still leading Amoses, or ready to explore other projects?

Hugo : I still see myself leading Amoses, maybe with our own physical store, a bigger team, and greater resources.I want to push our storytelling even further with each collection. Of course, we’re considering expanding into other fields, but for now, we’re staying focused on our main mission: creating beautiful pieces.

Aki : Thank you for this interview! The growth of Amoses has been incredible, and I’m really excited to see what comes next.