Matthew M. Williams

Matthew M. Williams is an American fashion designer whose clothing gives industrial details a heightened role. A buckle or fastening can determine the character of a piece, making utility part of its visual appeal. His work connects the development of a product with the ways clothes circulate through music and youth culture.

Williams entered fashion through an unconventional route, working on visual and performance projects with musicians including Lady Gaga and Kanye West. In 2015, he launched Alyx, later known as 1017 Alyx 9SM, with a wardrobe that brought technical research into close-fitting urban clothes. The label’s rollercoaster-inspired buckle became a recognizable expression of his interest in hardware, extending from belts into collaborations.

Givenchy appointed him creative director in June 2020. His men’s and women’s collections brought that product-focused approach into a couture house, applying it to tailoring and accessories as well as sportswear. His departure was announced in December 2023, effective January 1, 2024. In a GQ interview that month, he described wanting to concentrate on the next stage of Alyx, then preparing to move its studio to Paris.

In 2025, Williams introduced an independent namesake clothing project. Discussing it with Vogue, he presented a more direct way of working, including being personally available in the sales showroom. That smaller scale returned attention to the garment and its production. Across his different projects, the continuity is an interest in how the details of making can become the details through which a person recognizes a designer’s work.