In Conversation with Fashion Designer Matthew David Andrews

Matthew David Andrews on building immersive worlds from personal history

Matthew David Andrews works at the intersection of memory and spectacle, where autobiography is filtered through theatrical excess. Moreover, drawing on Essex carnival culture, Venetian references, and fragments of lived experience, he constructs collections that feel like staged worlds. These collections are emotional, exaggerated, and deeply personal.

In his collection Venice in Essex, water becomes both material and metaphor, shaping narratives of transformation, childhood memory, and escape. Following its acclaimed debut, Matthew David Andrews will present his new collection at the Fashion District Showcase in London on June 2, bringing its immersive universe to a new audience. In this conversation with IRK Magazine, he reflects on balancing intimacy with fantasy, the technical experimentation behind his work, and the ideas that continue to fuel his maximalist vision.

IRK: You reference Essex carnival culture, Venetian imagery, and queer personal history. How do you keep the collection visually theatrical without losing the autobiographical aspect?

Matthew David Andrews: The collection was born from such a deeply personal narrative, with sparks of both historical and fanciful elements to embellish and romanticise the visual identity of the collection… Naturally, I’m very theatrical, so this feels deeply rooted in my style and what I’m drawn to as a designer. I absolutely love the whimsical style, which lends itself to what so many people love about fashion, art, and theatre. Therefore, for me, there is no greater way to portray a story such as this.

Hopefully, the autobiographical element remains as the foundation of a collection. However, the final result should transcend the dark reality and trauma I faced as a child. It’s a story of overcoming and how imagination allows escapism.

IRK: Your collection Venice in Essex is based on a real flood in 1958. When did you realise water could work both as a material and as a way to express emotion in your fashion designs?

Matthew David Andrews: I’ve always found the literary device of pathetic fallacy super interesting, how the weather is attributed with human emotions to set a mood or tone. For me, the floods acted as a mechanism to present great sorrow and sadness during my childhood. Additionally, they would also create a fantastic universe in which my garments and characters could exist.

Very early on, we decided to start exploring a water-activated textile… bringing the weather to the runway. The textile itself was a metaphor, exploring transformation and self-discovery. As the colour changes, the real Matthew emerges and the storm passes.

IRK: The “rain hats” were a standout technical element of the show. What was the biggest challenge in making that effect work live?

Matthew David Andrews: Myself and Jenny Beattie (milliner) began working on the idea of the hats over a year before the runway. It was truly hard to get them working as we imagined. Nevertheless, after lots of trial and error, it worked. At some points, we really didn’t know if it was possible, but with the help of some amazing people around us, we were able to discover a way to get the water to pump into the hats.

But really, it was all a symbiotic process… having to trial the heat of the water and the dissolving textile, as well as the speed at which water would come out of the hats. Moreover, we also worked on determining where the water would fall. It was absolutely one of the most challenging projects I have ever done… One year to fully execute it was honestly always going to be a struggle. Despite this, the fact we managed to pull it off the way we did?! I AM ENDLESSLY PROUD!

IRK: What first made you want to go into fashion design, and what keeps you inspired day to day, whether that’s references, places, people, or anything else?

Matthew David Andrews: My childhood was packed with creativity. Some of my earliest memories are of me and my mum making treasure chests out of cardboard boxes – literally creating art from trash! I would always come home from school and select a topic from the encyclopaedia. Afterward, I would create enormous displays on my bedroom walls, cutting pieces of paper and sculpting 3D decorations. This instinctive creativity has always been present from a young age.

Moreover, I think growing up as a queer person, it was vital to have creativity to express myself and escape the criticism I experienced on a day-to-day basis. Being able to make has always brought me solace! Fashion is only an extension of all of this and combines my love of fine art, textiles, and theatre. When I realised this, I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do as a career.

IRK: Your work has been compared to designers like Galliano, Margiela, and McQueen. Which designer do you feel emotionally closest to in terms of creative philosophy? Do those comparisons influence your direction, or do you try to avoid them entirely?

Matthew David Andrews: Firstly, these comparisons are so flattering! To even be pitched at the same level as these amazing designers is mind-blowing. I obviously really admire how unapologetically maximalist Galliano is as a designer. When you have all of these references running through your mind subconsciously, I feel like it’s inevitable that there will be an overlap. Especially when you are theatrical with your design sensibilities.

What I take from it is that my work has a strong “British” design aesthetic which harks back to some of these great designers. This is something I absolutely want to retain as it speaks to so many people! Furthermore, there is such a gap for this type of design, as maximalist design has suffered in recent years. I want to change this!

IRK: You’ve said you’d like to become creative director of Moschino. If that happened tomorrow, what would your first show for the house look like?

Matthew David Andrews: YES! This is one of my dreams for sure. I have a very solid idea of what I’d do. All I can say is that it would play on some really fun European tropes, souvenir shops, goats, euros… I have the designs clearly in mind and I even started a playlist called “Moschino Show Music” on Spotify, which I’m using to manifest it. I absolutely love the brand and would love the chance to design there in the future!

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