Matthew Williams has been ahead of the fashion world for some time with his brand 1017 Alyx 9SM. It’s only been around for five years, but Williams never seems to let down with his work. His newest take on “minimalistic” fashion is no exception.
Wiliams grew up in Chicago, surrounded by Californian trends of skating and LA skatewear. Since then, he’s gone from being a creative director for Lady Gaga to being a part of BEEN TRILL, a strictly streetwear brand from the minds of fashion legends like Heron Preston and Virgil Abloh. Williams brings a new wave of punk-inspired, cut and clean fashion. The date is June 23, 2019, and 1017 Alyx 9SM SS20 came to win at the Paris Spring 2020 Fashion Week show.
Wiliams demonstrates how he wants businesswear to be the main focus by holding this show at Le Centorial, a bank in downtown Paris. As models walked, Williams gave us his best season to date, trading in the grunge heavy blacks and bright reds for his take on what a futuristic business aesthetic may be.
One piece that needs to be mentioned is the CAMO HOODED PUFFER JACKET. This is a piece that if you see it, you will want to see it again. The jacket consists of a print that will put you into a trance if you look for too long. As more models passed by the audience, we see more and more creative visuals of this new age. I believe the 29th model to walk was the best. The way his hair matched his jacket was perfect for the aesthetic. The jacket he wore covered most of his face, giving us a sense of menace; someone who shouldn’t be played with. Alongside him, we see Wiliams’ take on a messenger bag, included with the iconic industrial belt to give it the Alyx look.
Williams never regrets bringing his friends into his work. We see people like Skepta, Don C and Jerry Lorenzo in the crowd, and John Ross, a close friend of Williams who walks in his shows. Williams also brought his family into this season. Alyx is named after his daughter, and his wife walked in his show to applause from the audience. It seemed like another day of their wedding. Nothing else in that moment mattered; it was just a woman working for her husband. Women seem to be a big part of Alyx as the brand was originally for women, only adding men’s items in 2016.
Alyx 9SM SS20 is not a statement of current fashion. This is not a current idea. Alyx 9SM SS20 is what happens when we put everything into nothing. Williams makes his blank canvas into his ideas for tomorrow. The show stands in its own territory. It doesn't do what other fashion houses do — it does what must be done. From that, we get what some may say is the next Marc Jacobs. But I don't agree with this claim. We cannot compare two people who have different ideas and goals for what they want to bring into the fashion world. We cannot judge the past with the present, because then we would stay stuck in the past, trapped by previous ideologies.
Marc Jacobs is Marc Jacobs. Mathew Williams is Matthew Williams. And Alyx is a statement of that.
Alyx SS20 is set to be released before June 2020 at https://www.alyxstudio.com/#shop and will be available in stores at All Too Human, 236 Clarendon St., Back Bay.
MBTA: Green Line at Copley
MBTA: Green Line at Copley