1017 ALYX 9SM is closer than ever to luxury

As the last show of the week, 1017 ALYX 9SM completes the four-city relay of the men’s clothing season. FW20 is a further example of Williams’ inclination towards technical design. The bright, dynamically arranged forms offered an element of luxury that ALYX had not yet experienced. 

So far, Williams’ collections (@matthewmwilliams) and the collaborations between them, for example this month’s with Moncler Genius, have stood out for perfectly combining formality and utility. With this latest collection, the second he’s made in the spectacular and very high glass atrium of a Parisian bank building, he’s getting closer to luxury than ever.

“I’m worried about what will be, not what happened. This collection deals with multiple versions of the same reality, between truth and fiction. I am more aware than ever that the perception of a single experience is different from one person to another. That’s why I wanted to work with artist Ewan Macfarlane investigating what a mannequin means, which raises these figures halfway between sculpture and retail. In a way, isn’t that what we are too?”. These were the words of Matthew Williams to present a parade that speaks of a floating world, between brightness and despair.

In this collection, we could talk about a “utilitarian glamour” where the inlays of rhinestones and embroideries add decorative touches to a workwear that is already elegant in itself. Among the fabrics, recycled technical nylon and cottons treated as leather stand out.

The additions of rhinestones served as a gateway to the women’s clothing offer, which finally proved to cement the relationship of the label with the neutral gender garments.

Although the collection is mainly monochromatic, Williams did not hesitate to incorporate a touch of texture to the collection through animal prints and crocodile skin.

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The public usually recognizes the brand by the activewear and its characteristic technical clothing. However, Matthew Williams has managed to transfer it to a product that is closer to the public, with a more handcrafted finish, as can be seen in the luxurious jewellery. Who said that men can’t wear diamonds? And diamond hairpins? Williams sure didn’t.