SPOTLIGHT
direction for Watch the Throne and
Yeezus, while also setting up Been Trill,
the collective he founded alongside
Virgil Abloh and Heron Preston. But
by 2013, he was ready to settle down.
“Jen and I had got married, we’d had
our daughter, and I was living a lifestyle
where I’d come home from work and
be like, ‘I have to go to Africa now.’ We
wanted to plan our life more – and Jen
knew I’d always wanted to start a brand.
She said, ‘Let’s try it.’”
He soon had a partner in Slam Jam
founder and streetwear pioneer Luca
Benini, and discovered that starting his
own brand afforded him a creative
freedom he’d not experienced working
for other artists. “It’s easy to get lost in
other people’s worlds when you’re
working closely with them,” he explains.
“I just wanted to have the chance to say
something that was really pure.”
By creating clothes that tapped into
his underground references, and insist‑
ing they were both practical and
painstakingly produced (the Williams
family moved to Ferrara, a village in rural
Italy, to be closer to their factories), Alyx
started to earn a reputation for luxury
pieces crafted with old‑school finesse
yet the appeal of new‑gen aesthetics.
“The ultimate dedication to design is
the investment in the unseen,” he notes.
His devotion to product innovation is
staggering: fabrics laser‑cut to resemble
python skins; seamlessly bonded
leathers; bomber jackets formed from
technical twill. His utilitarian signature
and technical processes quickly infiltrated
mainstream fashion, and his garments
became wardrobe staples for a devoted
audience. “What makes Alyx stand out
is the way the clothes fit, the way they
make you feel,” says Bella Hadid.
“Matt and Jen are very particular on
the way each jacket, dress, even shirt is
tailored and built, so with that comes so
many different and innovative pieces –
always with the Alyx touch. The hardware
and accessories are something that
make it stand out over pretty much
anything these days.”
In an industry recently saturated with
rapid‑cycle, hype‑driven labels, Williams
has grown his business more mindfully.
Despite launching in 2015, and with a
perhaps unparalleled understanding
of show theatrics, it wasn’t until last
summer that he staged his first runway- a deliberately lo‑fi affair, even though
it was attended by everyone from Kanye
to A$AP Rocky and had the kind of
front row guest list money can’t buy.
Alyx’s collections showcase meticulous
developments of the brand identity,
and while Williams already has a string
of collaborations under his belt
(partnerships with Mackintosh,
Moncler and Nike have seen him create
streamlined trenches, hi‑tech puffers
and performance‑driven sportswear),
they are organic extensions of his
main line rather than grabs at cash or
mainstream credibility. It means that,
in a few short years, Alyx has established
an instantly recognisable blueprint and
a cultish following. “I like the way that
Matt pulls things together from every
part of his life and makes them his
own,” reflects Kim Jones, Dior’s artistic
director of menswear, who invited
Williams to create the buckle fastenings
for his reworked Dior saddlebags.
“His work is perfect for now: people
relate to his ability to navigate different
creative fields.”
“Matthew is a polymath in a completely
modern way,” says Sebastian Manes,
buying and merchandising director at
Selfridges, where, this August, an Alyx
boutique will open. “He knows exactly
how to maximise the potential of his
brand through his open and
collaborative attitude, and
also by connecting with
customers; from subcultural
and creative communities
through to superstars. I
mean, who wouldn’t want to
be part of the Alyx family?”
“There are way too many
things I love about Matt
and Jen,” chimes Bella. “We
immediately connected
the first time we met, and
there’s been no looking
back ever since.”
Williams also takes
a quietly determined
approach to the sustain‑
ability of his designs, and
has spent much of the past
few years investigating
everything from his supply
chains to his fabrications
in order to make incre‑
mental improvements to
his business. Incorporating
everything from recycled
jersey, denim and fishing
nets in his repertoire,
alongside waterless dyeing
processes and biodegrad‑
able packaging, his is a
fresh vision of ethical
fashion, quietly sewn into
the very fabric of his brand.
“It should be a given,” he
shrugs. “And sustainability
has to be led by the designer.
The number of times my
production teams have said,“Fashion is
a time capsule
of the world.
Collections
capture how
the world
is, what
everybody’s
feeling”‘Man, that’s not possible,’ and then we’re
able to keep pushing ahead... We’re just
fortunate that we’re getting to explore
sustainability in this way: simply as an
additional pillar of what we do.”
In an industry being forced into a new
era of transparency, as consumers start
to ask more from luxury than simply
expertly crafted leather goods, his
perspective appears resolutely modern.
“Fashion is a great time capsule of the
world,” he explains. “Collections capture
how the world is during that period –
showing what everybody’s feeling.” He’s
right, and his radically inclusive energy,
married with his contemporary vision,
distills the essence of the zeitgeist. But
if he’s nailing the present, what of the
future? “I think the goal for us is to be
a place where we really take care of our
employees, be somewhere people are
proud to work,” he says. Like I said: it’s
not necessarily what you’d expect from
a brand renowned for its militaristic
designs and punk‑rock leathers – yet
how brilliantly the two unite. n08-19-Spotlight-Alyx.indd 93 31/05/2019 15:01
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