Matthew Williamson
Matthew Williamson talks with Nicki Gillon
At the lauch of Matthew Williamson, '10 years in fashion'
location: Urbis Manchester 9/4/08
Contributor: Carly Hind
Despite an obvious excessive workload, Matthew took the time out to talk to MFN's Nicki at the above fashion event that took place in central Manchester.
Enjoy the read........ ..............we did!
Nicki: Firstly, congratulations on ten years in the industry
Matthew: “Thank you!”
Nicki: How does it feel to be back in Manchester?
Matthew: “It’s great, all my friends are here, my families here, half the people I knew from twenty years ago! It’s all a bit weird but good. I’m enjoying it.”
Nicki: Do you have any fond memories of the early days? The hacienda days for example?
Matthew: “Yeah, there’s a girl friend here I used to go out with and it’s the weirdest thing. I was on the other side by the mannequins, she walked past and was like shit! I used to go out with you about twenty years ago! We’d go to the hacienda on Saturdays and I would dress her up, make her little outfits, definitely memory lane!”
Nicki: Me and my colleague Katrina both lecture at Preston university one of the lecturers there Amanda, remembers you completing a two week work experience with her at Manchester’s art and craft centre back in the day, do you think it prepared you for the whole industry and market?
(Matthew looks taken back)
Matthew: “You‘re taking me down memory lane here, It was the first job I ever did and it was great, it definitely helped prepare me. You are making me feel old!”
Nicki: Just to give you an Idea about Manchester Fashion, We advise graduates on their next step into the industry, what would you say to aspiring designers?
Matthew: “I would say God help you! No, don’t write that! Most designers are very creative but they maybe lack a business sense, so if you do lack that then you can find someone who has that, so you can balance the two.”
Nicki: You famously set up in 1997 with hardly any financial backing or maybe no financial backing?
Matthew: “Sixty Quid I had”
Nicki: Do you think you could do that in 2008?
Matthew: “No, I think it would be really hard to be a new designer today, you know I don’t envy the new designers. When I first started I was really lucky, it was the right time the right moment. We had a great book of models on the first show and I was doing something very different to what had been going on in fashion. But now you have four collections a year and it’s a lot. That’s a lot, so you know, good luck to them!”
Nicki: How important do you think celebrity endorsement is in today’s industry?
Matthew: “It’s kind of important I don’t know how you measure it. I think most designers dress celebrities. I’m not doing anything different or unusual but I think somehow we become friends and everybody knows that it’s the friendship is over clothing and I think that annoys certain people. So when they see Sienna wearing the clothes, she’s wearing them because she likes the clothes it’s very simple. But there’s very few designers who don’t have that relationship.”
Nicki: Finally can you sum up the last ten years in three words?
Matthew: “I would say – Exhilarating, challenging and passion.”
As the interview came to a close, Matthew decided to hang around and have a chat with us, and we got a chance to sneak in a few more questions!
Nicki: How do you split you time between you own brand and Pucci?
Matthew: “Difficult but its getting into the third collection with Pucci, its just gets easier with time. A great team will look after you, in London so when im flying off to Italy. I switch off thinking about Matthew and start thinking about Pucci, I have the plane journey to stop mentally thinking about it”
Nicki: Do you get free rain with Pucci then?
Matthew:Yes!
Nicki: Are you still hands on after all of these years?
Matthew: “Too hands on”!
(Gestures, ‘hands up’ and mouths the word ‘ control freak’)
Nicki: Goodbye, and thank you once again
Matthew: “ You to, I love your style”
And on that note, he was whisked away by baying fashionista’s, growing jealous!
To see more click..
http://www.manchesterfashion.com/gallery/29/matthew-williamson--10-years-in-fashion/
Heres a little bit more about one of Manchester's greatest fashion exports
Written By Carly Hind
14/04/08
Matthew Williamson brings his acclaimed exhibition home to the Manchester’s Urbis centre to celebrate ten years since his very first catwalk show. Three times nominated British designer of the year, his own store in Mayfair, and now creative director at the LHMV owned Italian fashion house Emilio Pucci. It is fair to say he has had a busy and hugely successful decade.
Since graduating in 1994 from London’s Central St. Martins, Matthew Williamson quickly established himself as a leading talent in British design. The years leading up to his first catwalk show were quite obviously dedicated to creating the strong foundations he has set down in the fashion.
From a freelance design project with Marni, to employment with the large British fashion company Accessorize and Monsoon, to founding Matthew Williamson Ltd in 1997, there has never been a dull moment.
Sure enough 1997 was to be a great year for Matthew, as the heat of summer came around there was certainly an electric atmosphere as Matthew created a small women’s wear collection featuring only eleven outfits that went simply by the name ‘Electric Angels’. Featuring some of the world’s most glamorous models, Matthew watched as Kate Moss, Jade Jagger, Diane Kruger and Helena Christensen made their way down the runway, head to toe in his original designs and straight on to the cover of newspapers worldwide.
Naturally, awards followed as Matthew won Elle designer of the year 2004 and was awarded the 2005 Moet and Chandon Fashion Tribute. Since making the decision to show at New York Fashion week he continues to show in New York with the exception of his spring 2008 show, which made it’s way back to his creative roots for London Fashion Week.
