With his bubble-gum hair and chiseled cheeks (usually adorned with some kind of holographic rainbow glitter), Matty Bovan is like some ethereal creature from out of this world. Born amidst the dreamy spires of York, Matty spent his childhood dying fabric and cutting up clothes with his mom. There was no doubt about it; when he grew up, Matty was going to be a designer, and sure enough, he is.
After completing his knitwear MA at CSM — his cacophony of sculptural knights and handmade adornments won him both the L’Oreal Professionnel Creative Award and the LVMH Graduate Prize 2015 — Matty spent some time assisting at Louis Vuitton as a junior designer. Since then, his skills as an illustrator and makeup artist have seen him collaborate with Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu (he really is rather good) while earlier this year he launched his own eponymous label and has just been announced as the newest member of Fashion East, with whom he’ll show his inaugural spring/summer 17 collection this September. Expect to see lots of color, texture, and an air of twisted glamour. Until then, here are 10 things you need to know about Matty.
1. He’s dreamed of being a designer his whole life.
“I was one of those oddly focused kids, haha.”
2. He has fond memories of growing up.
“I’ve always loved clothes, makeup, and dressing up. My mom and grandma were always an inspiration growing up. I also loved Barbie, which never went down well at school, but I loved all the hair and clothes.”
3. He had some pretty major icons as a kid.
“I remember watching Top of the Pops as a kid. That was my fave program, and seeing people like Bjork, Gwen Stefani, and Annie Lennox; I loved them.”
4. So far his career highlight has been his MA show at CSM.
“I loved the experiment of my MA show with Central Saint Martins and I loved recently getting to work with Miu Miu in Paris working on the presentation, which was really fun.”
5. He is generally inspired by…
“Artists such as Fiona Rae and Richard Prince. Musicians such as PJ Harvey, Bjork, and Nina Hagan.”
6. If he was stuck on a desert island and could call in a few favors they would be…
“Wind up radio for music, fabric to make a tent, a wardrobe of clothes, endless chocolate, endless tea — and endless gin!”
7. When it comes to makeup, he could never live without…
“Some baby blue eye-shadow. But if I had to be practical I would say a pink lipstick, too.”
8. The artists playing in his studio right now are…
“Nina Hagan, Bjork, Cocteau Twins and some disco, plus lots of dodgy 80s.”
9. He’s pretty into the idea of a collaboration.
“I have many idols I would love to work with, but I like the unexpected nature of strange collaborations. I love applying my aesthetic to strange situations.”
10. His hopes and dreams for the future are…
“To be creative and be able to have full creative control on all my projects.”
Credits
Text Tish Weinstock