Matthew Williams is the founder and Creative Director of 1017 ALYX 9SM, the luxury streetwear brand whose signature utilitarian aesthetic, best championed by its famous chest rigs and roller coaster belts, has reached cult status with the approval of figures such as Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, Travis Scott and more. In 2016, Williams was named a 2016 Young Designer LVMH Prize finalist for ALYX. Prior to ALYX, the American creative director worked for Lady Gaga and collaborated with Kanye West, before founding Been Trill, whose design collective yielded work relationships with Heron Preston and Virgil Abloh. In 2018, Williams helmed many collaborations including an ALYX one with heritage outerwear label Mackintosh and an expansive Nike apparel and footwear collection, which included several original sneaker silhouettes.