Alex Mattsson

DESIGNER NAME: Alex Mattsson

BACKGROUND:  Alex was born in Gothenburg Sweden, but grew up in Oslo Norway. He moved to the UK in 2004. During his BA degree he worked for womenswear designer Jean-Pierre Braganza, and then Cassette Playa after finishing his MA degree. It didn't take long before Alex felt the need to do his own thing. He finished his BA from UCA Rochester in 2007 and went on to do a Masters degree in menswear at The Royal College of Art, graduating in 2009.

IDEAL CLIENT: “I don't really have one. People like clothes for different reasons. As long as you wear it well, you're my ideal customer.”

TRADEMARK PIECE: “Probably my orange and black biker jacket from AW12. It's still my favourite beast.”

THE COLLECTION: “AW13 is inspired by 40s Americana and the large scale Latino migration to California in particular. The collection draws parallels between Latino-American culture then and now. Think 40s work-wear, zoot suits and denim mixed with modern Latino-American culture such as 'The Mongols' - a notorious biker club made up largely by Latinos rejected by the Hell's Angels due to the colour of their skin.”

TIPS ON THE MAN-ABOUT-TOWN: “I wouldn't know; it’s not cool to be cool. Does that make me cool?”

CULTURAL INFLUENCES: “Music is a huge influence on my work. Sometimes I can visualise garments simply from listening to music. Hip hop and rap seems to be my genre of choice at the moment, which will definitely shine through in my AW13 collection. I also find sci-fi immensely inspiring. The futuristic lines always linger in my wrists when I design.”

PLANS FOR 2013: “Growth and development. I'm really enjoying the commercial side to my work at the moment. I'm also working on some interesting side projects that will surface in 2013.”