Matthew Williams (designer)

Matthew M. Williams is an American designer, creative, and entrepreneur. The co-founder of the fashion brand 1017 ALYX 9SM, he was appointed Creative Director of Givenchy women's and men's collections in June 2020.^[1][2]

Early life[]

Williams was born on October 17, 1985, in Evanston, Illinois. His parents worked in the medical field. When he was two years old, the family moved to Pismo Beach, California, where he grew up.^[3] As a child, he wanted to become an emergency room doctor. As a teen, he became interested in skateboard culture^[4] soccer and music, and would drive to Santa Barbara and Los Angeles to attend concerts and DJ sets. At 18, during an internship with a soccer coach who also owned a clothing brand, Williams realized that fashion could be a career.^[5] Williams took one semester of art classes at the University of California but never pursued any formal fashion training.^[6][7]

Career[]

Art direction[]

Despite being rejected from Parsons School of Design, Williams landed a job as a production manager and began to learn the business of running a clothing label before discovering costume design through music stylists.^[5][8]

“I took my first steps as a designer by designing stage costumes, and I first became interested in fashion through the clubbing scene in Los Angeles, going out to the club every night. I like the idea of transforming, of becoming a stage character for one night.”

— Matthew M. Williams

In 2007, Kanye West’s stylist asked Williams to design a jacket for his Grammy Awards performance with Daft Punk. Williams helped design a jacket with embedded LEDs.^[9] Impressed by the 21-year-old designer’s creativity, West asked Williams to join his team. Williams eventually moved from costume design for West to art directing videos and setting up the studio for West’s first fashion brand, Pastelle, as well as his creative content company, DONDA.^[5]

In 2012, ties with West led to the formation of the art and DJing collective Been Trill — made up of Heron Preston, Virgil Abloh, Justin Saunders and Williams, who describes it as "really just a fun thing to do."^[7]

“I didn’t decide one day to develop a speech on street culture: it is part of me, part of my childhood and my adolescence. I grew up in a seaside town in California in the 90s. Street culture was at the heart of children's lives from the age of 7. Rap was the most popular music, surfing and skateboarding had an important place in the lives of children, but also in the lives of their parents. So, you could say that it’s part of my identity. I just come from there.”

— Matthew M. Williams

A chance encounter with Lady Gaga in a sushi restaurant led to a steadfast friendship and an intense creative collaboration.^[5] Nicknamed “Dada” by Gaga's fans when he was the first artistic director of the “Haus of Gaga” (2008 to 2010), Williams went on to create much-noted costumes for the singer as she attained international stardom.^[9]

1017 Alyx 9SM[]

Originally called ALYX, the brand was started by Matthew, Jennifer-his then wife, and Luca Benini in 2015. Jennifer Murray Matthew’s ex-wife managed global sales for the brand until stopping in 2019. For Fall-Winter 2015, they debuted Alyx^[10] a women's wear brand named after their eldest daughter, a project to express their views.^[5]

"I wanted a project to represent who I am as a person"

The label, which is rooted in contemporary culture, affirmative change, and longevity of design, quickly caught attention and was shortlisted for the 2016 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers.^[11] Since then, the brand has restyled itself as 1017 Alyx 9SM (Matthew’s month and date of birth, October 17, the name of his oldest daughter, Alyx,^[5] and the neighborhood of New York where his first fashion studio was located, 9 St. Mark's Place) and won a loyal following for a highly focused collection with a very personal point of view, spanning women's wear, men's wear and accessories.

“I named ALYX after our daughter, and everything about this project is very personal. I felt it needed to be that way because, you know, there are so many clothes in the world, so many things that are really just about selling. I felt like doing a project that was committed, in a lifelong project that needed to be personal. Every time I’m thinking about a collection, it’s ’what does it mean to live today’, ‘what is relevant for clothes to be today’, ‘how can these pieces be timeless’, I think that is leading me to what those collections look like, and building on stepping stones that we have led in the past.”

— Matthew M. Williams

The designer's longstanding fascination with translating cultural undercurrents into high fashion informs the brand's aesthetic, and his signature “rollercoaster” buckle quickly became iconic among tastemakers.

1017 Alyx 9SM – Collaborations[]

Through his label 1017 Alyx 9SM, Williams soon began collaborating with internationally recognized brands including Dior, Nike, Moncler, Bang & Olufsen, and Mackintosh.^[12]

Dior[]

At Dior, Kim Jones, the artistic director for men's wear, invited Williams to collaborate on accessories for the Spring-Summer 2019 collection.^[13] Williams brought his brutalist industrial aesthetic to selected pieces through a utility buckle inspired by a rollercoaster ride at Six Flags amusement park. On the men's wear runway, the buckle cropped up on belts, caps and backpacks.

"I love my friends and I am proud of their work. Matt just loves good product and makes great things. I think Matt and I see beyond fashion. We have wanted to work together for a long time, and this was the perfect moment. For Dior, I wanted the most modern interpretation of the buckle, which is what Matt does best!"

— Kim Jones, Creative Director of Dior Homme

Nike[]

In January 2020 Matthew Williams’ collection for Nike was released:^[14]

“I have been a friend of the brand for many years, I have known them through mutual friends and my business partner is one of their distributors. For 20 years, we have met through these different links and they have offered me to do a training collection. Jun Takahashi is running, Pigalle is basketball and Virgil is lifestyle. There was the opportunity to explore the training side of Nike and work using athlete data to make athletic sportswear more functional. It's a really interesting opportunity that they presented to me two years ago and it's finally coming out."

Moncler[]

In February 2020, 1017 ALYX 9SM teamed up with Moncler for its Genius lines,^[15] combining his iconic tactical aesthetic with Moncler's boundary pushing outerwear.^[16]

“Working with Moncler means a lot of technology applied to luxury fashion. We took those principles and injected our own take, fusing our respective identities.”

— Matthew M. Williams

XIN[]

In March 2021, XIN announced a collaboration with 1017 ALYX 9SM.^[17]

Givenchy[]

In June 2020, Williams was appointed Creative Director of Givenchy collections for women and men.^[18]

“In addition to his commitment to craftsmanship and attention to detail, Williams advocates authentic values of research, technical innovation and creative repurposing that align perfectly with Givenchy’s philosophy of elegant ease. An intuitive understanding of tailoring, technology and integrity in fashion make the designer an ideal steward for carrying the Givenchy legacy forward with modernity and power.”

— Statement from the House of Givenchy

Personal life[]

Williams was married to Jennifer Murray. They have two daughters - Alyx and Valetta. He has a son, Cairo, from a previous relationship with costume designer Erin Hirsh. He was also previously in a relationship with Lady Gaga.^{[19][20][6][8]}

References[]