PARIS, France — California-native Matthew Williams had always been creative but an internship with his soccer teacher’s label made him realise that fashion could be a career. From there he dived into the fashion world, citing the photography of Irving Penn, Nick Knight and Juergen Teller as early inspirations.

Despite a rejection from Parsons, he found jobs in production where he learnt to cut patterns before finding costume design through music stylists. He worked with Kanye West, going on tour and helping art directors, photographers and stage designers. A chance encounter with Lady Gaga in a sushi restaurant led to a firm friendship and endless costumes as she became a star and toured the world.

The Been Trill collective with Heron Preston, Virgil Abloh, Justin Saunders and Williams was borne out of the ties with West; something he described as "really just a fun thing to do."

Alyx — named after his eldest daughter — came to life a few years later when Williams realised he wanted to express his own views and what he had to say. "I wanted a project to represent who I am as a person," he said. He describes the brand as an emotional expression of human sentiment and "a timeline of growth," explaining that he aims to create clothing that represents what it means to live today.

And as for the future of the brand? Williams simply wants to continue doing what he is doing. "I want people to see the product we make and fall in love with what we do," he said. "I care mostly about being proud of the product that we are making."

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