Fashion

Now Matthew Williams Has Put His Spin On Moncler's Down Jackets


Alessandro Furchino Capria

Since it was established in 1952, Moncler has become as synonymous with down jackets as Burberry is with the trench coat or Hermès with silk scarves. But much like those brands, it wants to be known for more than its trusted goods – which is no surprise, given its remarkable backstory. Having started out as a sleeping-bag manufacturer in the mountain village of Monestier-de-Clermont (Moncler is an abbreviation of this name), it was transformed in 2013 by CEO Remo Ruffini, who built a bankrupt brand into the thriving luxury-sportswear company we know today – as much Italian now as it is French.

Alessandro Furchino Capria

And the next chapter? Last February, during Milan Fashion Week, Moncler launched its Genius project – which Ruffini describes as “a symposium of creative minds and an inspiring place” – putting an end to the company’s Gamme Rouge (women’s) and Gamme Bleu (men’s) shows that had been guest-designed by the likes of Giambattista Valli and Thom Browne.

Instead, eight designers were invited to reinterpret Moncler’s DNA. In a cavernous Milanese hangar they simultaneously unveiled their collections in theatrical presentations that played on loop. Simone Rocha transported us to a snowscape where models zig-zagged down the runway in airy creations embroidered with florals. Meanwhile, Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli brought a touch of reverential couture to his collection, arranging models in down gowns on an altar-like stage; artworks by monk Sidival Fila hung on the walls above. The collections have been released on a monthly basis ever since.

Alessandro Furchino Capria

On Wednesday 20 February, two new designers join the ranks. British wunderkind Richard Quinn (who was presented with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design by Her Majesty on the same day as the Moncler Genius show last year) and California native Matthew Williams of Alyx will show alongside the original eight.

“The collection is about authentically marrying the world of Moncler and the world of Alyx,” Williams says, with the same matter-of-fact approach that defines his designs. Vogue came to meet the 33-year-old during fittings at the Moncler headquarters in Milan. The severity of his black leather trousers, liberally inked arms and military buzz cut are gloriously contrasted by his jovial manner.

As the former creative director to Lady Gaga and artistic director to Kanye West, Williams is inextricably linked with both music and fashion. It’s fitting then that some of the fabrics of his Moncler Genius collection have an acoustic quality. “It’s a happy coincidence,” he says, as he arranges a jacket made of kite material on a model. Every gesticulation makes a whooshing sound that makes the spine tingle. “Some people love it, and some people are like, ‘when is that garment going to shut up?’”

Alessandro Furchino Capria

Williams almost always designs listening to music. On his playlist right now is a medley of contemporary hip-hop featuring Lil Gotit, Skepta, Playboy Carti and “a bunch of kids from Philadelphia that are really good” (Matt Ox and Lil Uzi Vert of the production collective Working on Dying).

But the correlation between fashion and music doesn’t end there. The seams of a frosted raincoat embossed with the Alyx logo have been sealed using ultrasonic welding. This manufacturing technique, more commonly used in the packaging industry, bonds materials together using high-frequency sound waves and pressure – just like the edge of the plastic folder you’d keep university lecture notes in. Williams’ approach to design is instinctive: “I’m not so strategic in that way where I’m thinking about the market or business trajectory,” he says. “I’m honestly just making clothes that don’t bore me. It’s coming from a place of things that I want to wear, or I would like to see worn by my wife or a girlfriend.”

Alessandro Furchino Capria

The “marriage” between Moncler and Alyx that Williams speaks of is an invariably harmonious one, centring on technical innovation and bold fabrications. It is, after all, why Williams decided to relocate his family from New York to the town of Ferrara in northern Italy. “When I wanted to start my own brand, I realised that Italy was one of the only places in the world where I could make every category that I wanted to do, in the highest quality and with the best materials,” he explains. “It’s a great experience, being in our thirties and getting to learn about a new culture, a new place. And it’s a great place for kids to grow up” – he has two daughters with his partner (and collaborator) Jennifer: Valetta and Alyx, after whom the brand is named.

Alessandro Furchino Capria

The heavy metal buckles that have become something of a trademark for the designer are omnipresent on belts and even sandals. Semi-transparent fabric is used to line many of the down coats, turning the stuffing into a feature. T-shirt pattern offcuts have been spun into new yarn and used to make more T-shirts. But the hero of his Genius collection is a pair of unassuming leggings. Created using seamless-knitting technology – a process that almost entirely eliminates waste – the yarn itself is made from recycled fishing line. This idea of reduction is a consistent theme right down to Williams’ boots, which are made from vulcanised rubber.

Alessandro Furchino Capria

“We aren’t a ‘green’ company, nor do we claim to be,” he says. “But it’s our responsibility as designers to try and find solutions.” Seamless knitting is time-consuming, he admits; “there are about 3,500 individual threads that go into each piece, and the machine can take at least a day to set up.” But once it’s going, “you’re spitting out eight garments every half-hour on each side. It really is the future of knitwear. The future of making clothing.”

Sustainable fashion may be an oxymoron, but Williams identifies quality, and therefore the longevity of a garment, as key to reducing the impact fashion is having on the environment. “Making something that lasts for decades, that’s the ultimate goal,” he says. “And I think that’s what we’re doing here.”





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