Matthew M. Williams Is Back. Now What?
He’ll be presenting his first collection during this June’s Men’s Paris Fashion Week
If you’ve followed fashion for the past decade, you know Matthew M. Williams as the designer who made 1017 Alyx 9SM—or as someone I used to work with years ago once described the brand as streetwear with brains, and it was true, because it was not just another hype label. Matthew created a brand centered on something that went beyond just a very recognizable logo. Long before sustainability became a marketing checkbox, Alyx was already integrating materials like recycled nylon, eco-leather, and regenerated cotton into its collections, and even QR codes on tags so you could track where your garment was born. Cool streetwear, right?
But here’s the ugly truth: 1017 Alyx 9SM became very much a product also a product of its time. The streetwear boom was huge, and Williams rode that wave like a pro. Fast forward to today, most people have moved on. The streetwear aesthetic? Over, even Demna’s Balenciaga is at a discount. The hype? Fizzled out, unless it’s for a nostalgia remix. And Alyx? It didn’t exactly build a cult following you’d tattoo on your arm.
But Williams’ contributions to fashion haven’t been forgotten. Another big moment for him as a designer was his Givenchy tenure, and more specifically, his Fall/Winter 2023 collection — a shocking curveball. Suddenly, Matthew showed us a side of himself we barely expected: craftsmanship, layered tailoring, kilt skirts, and a heavy dose of archive references, along with the disappearance of any streetwear stamp. The clothes weren’t just cool overlays, they were actually thoughtful. And yes, there was talk about sustainability, but not the kind where brands throw buzzwords, it was a true appreciation of his craftsmanship talents.
Now, the news says that Williams is back with a new namesake brand. And as mentioned by WWD, it will be self-funded, selectively sourced from trusted suppliers in Japan and Italy, and supposedly committed to transparency and quality. And you don’t have to worry, because there will be no streetwear revival here, no recycled hype cycles. Just clothes with a conscience and a story to tell—his story to tell.
Sounds good on paper. But here’s the red flag for opening an independent label today: the economy sucks, the fashion world is unstable, and launching a new brand right now feels like throwing a party during Mercury retrograde—everyone’s stressed, broke and burnt out. Unlike Phoebe Philo, who had a cult following waiting to throw money at anything with her name, Williams doesn’t have that luxury. No one’s waiting at the edge of their seat, and Alyx doesn’t have that mythical legacy to pull nostalgia strings.
His FW23 Givenchy show was a taste of what could be the best memory we have of his tenure — beautiful layering, interesting fabrics, respect for the archives. But to win in today’s game, he’ll need ten times that and a good story that goes beyond a poem he published on his Instagram account. More innovation, more personality, more of whatever makes people care. Because craftsmanship and sustainability aren’t bonuses anymore, they’re just the entry ticket.
So yeah, Matthew M. Williams is back. And while that’s exciting, it’s also a huge question mark. Can he turn his “conscious couture” ideas into a brand people actually want to wear and worship? Or will he just be another talented creative lost in the endless cycle of fashion comebacks?
We’re watching. And you should, too.