/ Driving change with Amanda Mille, daughter of Richard Mille: the eponymous label’s brand and partnerships director talks women’s racing and empowering watches
- The Swiss luxury watchmaker launched an all-women racing team, and creates unique timepieces for ladies to spruce up the industry’s ‘very male world’
- A relatively young brand at two decades old, previous partnerships include world champion freediver Arnaud Jerald, Pharrell Williams and Paris Brain Institute
Amanda Mille, brand and partnerships director of Richard Mille, and daughter of the eponymous founder, talks about how the watchmaker is empowering women.
How has Richard Mille evolved as a brand?
Firstly we’re still quite a young brand, we’ve existed for two decades only – which is very young compared to some other watch brands. Change is what we’re all about, in terms of technology. Richard Mille watches are about breaking codes, meeting exciting new technological changes, working with new materials – and looking for unexpected new members of the family who bring with them inherently difficult but exciting challenges. What doesn’t change, however – and this is the DNA of the brand – are our values, the way we listen to our customers in a changing world and above all being a family.
What was the motivation behind launching the all-women Richard Mille Racing Team, which is taking part in the FIA World Endurance Championship?
When I first started working for the brand in the Middle East, it has to be said that ladies watches were slow to take off. It’s true that perhaps women didn’t feel they had a place in a brand which was overtly based on technological performance. Even the design of our boutiques throughout the world felt like it was very much aimed at our male clients. Wrongly, I thought! I really tried to attract more female interest, and during my time in the Middle East we upped the ladies’ part of the market there from 4 per cent in 2014 to 30 per cent in 2017.
Racing is, as you know, one of my father’s absolute passions, and so it seemed a perfect idea to concentrate on something distinctly feminine, which broke the codes. What better way than to encourage a female racing team, to bring together women competitors in one of the most staunchly male worlds – precisely to show people what they – what we, as women – could do. I knew we were doing the right thing when I met Tatiana Calderon on the Abu Dhabi circuit for the all-women’s event we organised. When I introduced her to the team she needed – her co-drivers Beitske Visser and Sophia Flörsch – sparks flew, and I have been really impressed by their performances so far.
What obstacles did you face in the team’s launch?
That it’s a very male world! It’s an attitude. It’s not normal though when you think about it – why shouldn’t women race and drive fast cars? Meeting Philippe Sinault at Signatech was a decisive moment in making this dream come together. He really believed in the vision of creating a championship-worthy team of female drivers. They were absolutely ready to take their place – it’s just they hadn’t met the right technical team who believed in them.