Interview: American Vintage's Audrey Lankester, Head of AMV Camp

Fashion |INTERVIEW

Established in 2005 by a young entrepreneur from Marseille, Michaël Azoulay, American Vintage is known for their trademark style of casual cuts and a nuanced colour range. Today, the American Vintage head office spans 2,200 square metres and 4,000 square metres of warehouse space as well as outdoor facilities. Located in the Signe business park, it is forty minutes away from Marseille, situated on top of a plateau overlooking a cirque of hills all the while surrounded by a pine forest. FashionUnited recently interviewed Audrey Lankester by email, the Head of AMV Camp, on the unique use of the vast space for AMV employees and the brand’s vision for the future.

What is the AMV Camp?

The AMV Camp is the guideline for the brand and is a team of 15 American Vintage devotees who recruit, maintain, integrate and inform. We keep in mind the will to create a strong recruitment and training pool, more importantly to preserve a common ground where history, and human and social values of AMV is respected and worked upon. The camp is our new challenge, and it motivates us all equally because we can express ourselves on what we love: the product & being human.

How did you become the Head of AMV Camp?

I’ve been the Head of the AMV Camp since the beginning of 2019 and was previously Head of Sales of Global Europe retail for American Vintage for 8 years. I opened more than 110 points of sales in Europe, elaborating the retail process for AMV and recruiting commercial teams.

I started my journey at the very beginning of the brand, I had just come back from two years as the Head of Marketing Experience for the woman’s lingerie brand, I.D. Sarrieri. I lived in Paris, then in eastern Europe. After ten years, I wanted to come back to my roots which is Marseille, hence I chose to face this new challenge.

What do you love about your job?

What drives me is that team dynamic, bringing everyone together in a goal fulfilment mindset.

What is your goal for AMV Camp?

Today, we have more than 800 collaborators, tomorrow we aim to have even more affiliates and new openings; our main role is to keep the same energy, values as well as the fresh & dynamic mindset of the house which made us all at a certain point want to be part of this journey.

Can you tell us how AMV Camp functions?

AMV Camp is positioned on three different angles:

• 1) #THIS IS US
is the communication & the marketing of our teams, putting forward our front & back collaborators, which is taking care of our LinkedIn network & the branding that is made around it along with the exchange/gateway with business and fashion/art schools in general. Our collections are known & desirable and we wish to have the same reputation for our company.

• 2) #JOIN US AMV CAMP
is the recruitment process & an integration which respects the house etiquette. This includes the following: Choice- follow up of CVs and analysis, thanks to a performing tool. AMV’s Recruitment Policy. Team of recruitment experts that are focused on the training.

• 3) #GROWING TOGETHER AMV CAMP
is the training program of teams with the integration program #ONBOARDING AMV CAMP. The success of recruitment is at 50 percent during the collaborator’s integration in the company. A good integration is a certain involvement and motivation degree from the collaborator and focuses on loyalty.

Finally, the AMV Camp is the Research & Development of AMV, pilot projects and best practices. We are all involved: Trainers, Commercial Agents, Merchandisers collaborate on ideas and projects for the field must flourish. AMV Camp is a collaborative project, with each and everyone’s expertise benefiting one another other.

This interview was created in cooperation with American Vintage to promote working in fashion.

Photos: courtesy of American Vintage, SimplyPR