ALYX SS’17
Each fashion capital has an identity. London is innovative; Paris is chic; Milan is glamorous, and New York is supposedly commercial, the place where big names show department-store-friendly collections. However, during the last few seasons, the Big Apple has transformed this reputation courtesy of forward-thinking womenswear brand, Alyx.
Founded in 2015 by Matthew Williams, the former music industry creative director and employee of Lady Gaga and Kanye West, has pushed his designs – imbued with subculture – into fashion’s consciousness. Having launched with a film starring Tallulah and Scout Willis by long-time collaborator Nick Knight, the brand has since made it to the final eight in the LVMH prize for new fashion designers, and added a resort line to their portfolio, a bold move for such a young brand.
SLEEK dropped into Alyx’s Paris fashion showroom during the SS17 shows in October to check out what the fuss was all about, and we were not disappointed. The comprehensive collection of plissé trousers cinched at the ankle with straps, oversized off-white leather jackets and next-level accessories suggested an outfit that’s serious about making a mark on the industry. So we asked Matthew Williams and his business partner and wife, Jennifer Williams, a few questions about it.
ALYX SS’17
SLEEKYour SS17 line is called “Love Chaos”. What does that mean?
Matthew Williams: The collection is about loving the place you are from, recognising the chaos, and living in it. The Chelsea bomb [one of three detonated in New York and New Jersey on 17-19 September this year] exploded two blocks from our home, and when something happens like that, you question whether you should stay in a city like New York, especially when you are raising kids. But sometimes you have to make that decision to stick it out. This collection is a tribute to the disorder of the city.
SLEEK: You were one of the eight finalists for the LVMH prize earlier this year, what effect has that had on your business?
Jennifer Williams: It definitely put us on the map, and in a more practical sense, it was good for Matthew to spend some time around other designers and realise that the growing pains of setting up a brand are the same for everyone. It was also super inspiring, meeting the other nominees and hearing their stories, like Vejas Kruszewski, who is only 19 and learnt to sew on YouTube.
SLEEK: Jennifer, your background is in sales, how does that feed into the brand?
JW: I worked for Alexander Wang and a bunch of other people in New York and I brought that experience to the label. We focus on steady growth; it ?s more important for us to have good sales and have buyers coming back than everyone in the industry knowing our name. The quality of production is the most important thing to us, though. We recently got a place near our factory in Italy, actually.
SLEEK: You’re currently working on your fourth collection. Are you carrying over to it any of the motifs from your previous ranges?
MW: Definitely. You need to repeat certain silhouettes to establish your DNA in this business. People need time to get used to you, and know what you stand for. It’s like propaganda – you have to repeat something three times for it to go in.
SLEEK: And finally, who is the Alyx girl?
MW: My wife is always the girl, she is my eternal muse.
ALYX RESORT ’17
ALYX RESORT’17
ALYX AW’16
ALYX AW’17
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