Matthew Williamson
Encyclopedia
Matthew Williamson is an English
fashion designer. His collections often have an Indian influence, perhaps related to the time Williamson spent working in India for the clothing store Monsoon. He counts celebrities such as Björk
, Cat Deeley
, Will Buckhurst, Sienna Miller
, Kelis
, Jade Jagger
and Plum Sykes
amongst his friends.
, Manchester
, England, and studied in Manchester
until he was 17. He then moved to London
to attend school at Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design, graduating in 1994.
The luxury fashion house, Matthew Williamson, was founded in February 1997 by designer, Matthew Williamson and CEO, Joseph Velosa. In September 1997, Matthew Williamson showed his infamous debut collection, 'Electric Angels', during London Fashion Week. Bias cut dresses and separates in exotic shades of tangerine, fuchsia and magenta were worn by models Kate Moss, Helena Christensen and Jade Jagger. This unique collection of bright, intricately detailed pieces defined and set the pace for the highly recognisable Matthew Williamson signature aesthetic.
Following this initial show, Matthew Williamson's collections have continued to gather momentum, cementing his reputation as a designer. In February 2002, Matthew showed for the first time during New York Fashion Week expanding opportunities within the press and attracting a wider audience commercially.
The award-winning Matthew Williamson flagship store first opened at 28 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London in March 2004.
In 2005, he launched his own perfume range and in 2006 took over as Creative Director at LVMH owned Italian house, Emilio Pucci, whilst continuing at the design helm of his namesake company. In 2007, a runway show of his designs was incorporated into the video for Prince
's song "Chelsea Rodgers" from his Planet Earth
album. In August 2007, TSM Capital acquired an equity stake in Matthew Williamson Holdings Ltd. Baugur Group, which invested in the company in 2006, maintains a significant equity interest in the business. TSM Capital made the investment in collaboration with the Aronsson Group. Combined, Matthew Williamson and Joseph Velosa, the company's founders, retain the majority stake in the company. In September 2007, Matthew Williamson was invited to celebrate the label's 10th year anniversary by returning to London fashion week for an anniversary show which included an exclusive performance by artist, Prince. An exhibition dedicated to his retrospective titled, "Matthew Williamson – 10 Years in Fashion" was also held at the Design Museum, London.
Matthew Williamson won the Red Carpet Designer of the Year at the 2008 British Fashion Awards; previously having been awarded Elle Designer of the Year in 2004 and the 2005 Moet and Chandon Fashion Tribute Award. He has also been nominated 3 times for Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards. In September 2008 Matthew Williamson returned to London full time in order to focus fully on his own label's forthcoming ventures and expansion. He made a guest appearance on season 7 of Project Runway
. The episode aired on January 28, 2010.
In 2009, Matthew Williamson opened its first US flagship store in New York, accompanied by a further stand alone retail store in the Dubai Mall, Dubai. This was closely followed by the launch of online stores for the UK, Europe and US. In 2009, Williamson cooperated with Swedish clothing company H&M
. His collection for men and women, which launches on 23 April will include Williamson's first venture into the menwear market. In September 2009, Matthew Williamson was invited by the British Fashion Council to return to celebrate London Fashion Weeks 25th anniversary.
In October 2010 it was announced that Matthew Williamson signed a new licensing deal with MBFG. The deal birthed a new, younger, diffusion line - Muse by Matthew Williamson. The new line is expected to be in stores for Fall 2011.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
fashion designer. His collections often have an Indian influence, perhaps related to the time Williamson spent working in India for the clothing store Monsoon. He counts celebrities such as Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, Cat Deeley
Cat Deeley
Catherine Elizabeth "Cat" Deeley is an English television presenter and model. Since 2006, Deeley has also been the host of So You Think You Can Dance in the United States, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition...
, Will Buckhurst, Sienna Miller
Sienna Miller
Sienna Rose Diana Miller is a British-American actress, model, and fashion designer, best known for her roles in Layer Cake, Alfie, Factory Girl, The Edge of Love and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. In 2007, the London Film Criticsnamed her British Actress of the Year for Interview...
, Kelis
Kelis
Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers (born August 21, 1971 is an American musical artist. She is a BRIT Award, Q Award and NME Award winner and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She has had nine top 10 singles on the UK Singles Chart...
, Jade Jagger
Jade Jagger
Jade Sheena Jezebel Jagger is an English jewelry designer, socialite and former model.-Early life:Jagger was born in Paris, France. She is the only child of Bianca , a Nicaraguan-born actress and philanthropist, and Mick Jagger, an English musician and actor...
and Plum Sykes
Plum Sykes
Victoria "Plum" Sykes is an English-born fashion-writer, novelist and New York socialite. "Plum" was a childhood nickname .- Early years and antecedents :...
amongst his friends.
Biography
He was born in Chorlton-cum-HardyChorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of the city of Manchester, England. It is known locally as Chorlton. It is situated about four miles southwest of Manchester city centre. Pronunciation varies: and are both common....
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England, and studied in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
until he was 17. He then moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to attend school at Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design, graduating in 1994.
Career
Graduating from Central St Martins in June 1994 with a BA in Fashion Design and Printed Textiles, his first job following graduation was a freelance design project with Marni. Matthew was then employed by British fashion company, Monsoon and Accessorize.The luxury fashion house, Matthew Williamson, was founded in February 1997 by designer, Matthew Williamson and CEO, Joseph Velosa. In September 1997, Matthew Williamson showed his infamous debut collection, 'Electric Angels', during London Fashion Week. Bias cut dresses and separates in exotic shades of tangerine, fuchsia and magenta were worn by models Kate Moss, Helena Christensen and Jade Jagger. This unique collection of bright, intricately detailed pieces defined and set the pace for the highly recognisable Matthew Williamson signature aesthetic.
Following this initial show, Matthew Williamson's collections have continued to gather momentum, cementing his reputation as a designer. In February 2002, Matthew showed for the first time during New York Fashion Week expanding opportunities within the press and attracting a wider audience commercially.
The award-winning Matthew Williamson flagship store first opened at 28 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London in March 2004.
In 2005, he launched his own perfume range and in 2006 took over as Creative Director at LVMH owned Italian house, Emilio Pucci, whilst continuing at the design helm of his namesake company. In 2007, a runway show of his designs was incorporated into the video for Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
's song "Chelsea Rodgers" from his Planet Earth
Planet Earth (album)
Planet Earth is the twenty-fifth studio album by American musician Prince, first released July 15, 2007 in the UK as a free covermount with The Mail on Sunday national newspaper. This was followed by the album's worldwide distribution...
album. In August 2007, TSM Capital acquired an equity stake in Matthew Williamson Holdings Ltd. Baugur Group, which invested in the company in 2006, maintains a significant equity interest in the business. TSM Capital made the investment in collaboration with the Aronsson Group. Combined, Matthew Williamson and Joseph Velosa, the company's founders, retain the majority stake in the company. In September 2007, Matthew Williamson was invited to celebrate the label's 10th year anniversary by returning to London fashion week for an anniversary show which included an exclusive performance by artist, Prince. An exhibition dedicated to his retrospective titled, "Matthew Williamson – 10 Years in Fashion" was also held at the Design Museum, London.
Matthew Williamson won the Red Carpet Designer of the Year at the 2008 British Fashion Awards; previously having been awarded Elle Designer of the Year in 2004 and the 2005 Moet and Chandon Fashion Tribute Award. He has also been nominated 3 times for Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards. In September 2008 Matthew Williamson returned to London full time in order to focus fully on his own label's forthcoming ventures and expansion. He made a guest appearance on season 7 of Project Runway
Project Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
. The episode aired on January 28, 2010.
In 2009, Matthew Williamson opened its first US flagship store in New York, accompanied by a further stand alone retail store in the Dubai Mall, Dubai. This was closely followed by the launch of online stores for the UK, Europe and US. In 2009, Williamson cooperated with Swedish clothing company H&M
H&M
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
. His collection for men and women, which launches on 23 April will include Williamson's first venture into the menwear market. In September 2009, Matthew Williamson was invited by the British Fashion Council to return to celebrate London Fashion Weeks 25th anniversary.
In October 2010 it was announced that Matthew Williamson signed a new licensing deal with MBFG. The deal birthed a new, younger, diffusion line - Muse by Matthew Williamson. The new line is expected to be in stores for Fall 2011.