Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexander Mattaway.
Hi Alexander, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and raised in Miami, one of the world’s automotive meccas, where it’s almost impossible not to be inspired. The streets are full of color, art, tropical scenery, beautiful people, and of course, beautiful cars, sometimes you just have to stop and take it all in. I’ve always been drawn to the worlds of art, design, engineering, and automobiles, especially when those worlds collide through custom cars. It doesn’t get much better than spotting a unique build rolling through the streets of Miami.
While I always knew I wanted my life to involve cars, I didn’t always know exactly what that would look like. By the time I could talk, I was shouting out car names everywhere we went, often startling my parents with my enthusiasm. This led to one of my first summer jobs being an apprentice for a vintage auto restorer, which only deepened my love for cars and everything mechanical. As I got older and started thinking about a career, other passions began to compete for my attention. Art and engineering were still major influences in my life, and I had to start making choices.
Throughout middle and high school, I was part of my school’s robotics team. In my senior year, we won first place at the national level in the 120lb division, which opened the door for my friends and me to later compete in the reboot of the TV show BATTLEBOTS during and after college. Competing in combat robotics was one of my first experiences being part of such a supportive and creative community. It never got old to see the winner in the pits helping the loser rebuild the bot they had just destroyed.
Whatever I ended up doing, I knew I was going to be craving that same type of community. I loved the combat robotics community and the thrill of building 250-pound machines for TV, but I was always looking for ways to make it more car-related. That meant designing our robots with exotic and hypercar-inspired styling wherever and whenever possible and even securing a sponsorship from K1 Speed so our team could wear real custom fireproof racing suits for our fights.
The blend of precision engineering and creative problem-solving in robotics was the same balance I saw in great automobiles, which made pursuing product design feel like a natural next step. This passion for engineering, aesthetics, design, and individuality eventually led me to study Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design, where I honed my eye for detail, form, and visual storytelling. While my combat robotics career certainly benefited from this, over the years I have been in creative roles ranging from working for architects and studio artists to product design, gallery installations, and leading marketing for high-end brands. No matter what I was doing, I always found myself coming back to cars as a form of art and expression.
Sun Under LLC and my Sunset Under Miami car meets grew out of this love for design and community. I wanted to create events that weren’t just about parking cars in a lot and showing off, but about creating a curated yet welcoming environment, celebrating car culture, the people, the builds, and the stories behind them. Hosting these meets has been a great privilege and allowed my friends and me to bring together an eclectic mix of vehicles and enthusiasts, from modified imports to rare exotics.
Our meets have a style all their own. What makes Miami special is its diversity. We showcase everything from custom minivans and grassroots builds in the early stages of modification to high-end supercars and show cars. You might see a JDM classic on air suspension parked next to a concours-level European sports car, with both owners talking shop like old friends. It is about the vision and shared passion, not the price tag. We like to showcase the artistry and provide a unique setting in the heart of South Miami for content creation. We incorporate photography, videography, vendors and music into the events so that they feel more like an experience than a simple gathering.
A big part of the culture we are building is also expressed through our apparel. Our apparel lines go hand in hand with our meets, allowing people to bring car culture into their everyday life. We design and sell original merchandise that blends car culture with fashion, so that when we step out of our cars we can wear something that represents our passion. Taking inspiration from Japanese manga, retro automotive advertising, streetwear aesthetics, and more, our pieces are not just merchandise. Every product is wearable art that reflects the individual and the community.
Custom cars are at the heart of what we do. I have always been fascinated by how a vehicle can bring so much joy and be an extension of someone’s personality. Whether it is through rare parts, performance upgrades, paint, wheels, interiors, or subtle details only a true enthusiast would notice, every build tells a story. Sunset Under Miami thrives on that creativity, and the Miami car scene needs those stories celebrated.
For me, it is about creating a space where people feel proud to bring their cars, where creators can capture something truly unique, and where someone might leave inspired to get something fun to drive or even start their own project. It is a blend of show, car meet, and cultural exchange, and it is only just getting started.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road has not been a straightforward one and has certainly been bumpy. I’ve always been a bit of a jack of all trades, exploring different creative fields and roles, which meant figuring out what I truly wanted to do and how to get there has been an ongoing process and challenge.
Once I became deeply involved in the car world, I realized this was where I wanted to be, but it wasn’t always a welcoming or easy environment. The community can be filled with big egos, which means navigating relationships carefully and deciding who to trust, collaborate with, or keep at a distance. As an attendee, this was never really an issue, but working in the industry has brought these challenges to light. Finding the right people to build with and share a vision has been one of the bigger hurdles.
Another challenge has been social media. I’ve never naturally been someone who posts regularly, so keeping up in a world that revolves around digital engagement has been difficult. Learning how to balance content creation with everything else involved in building Sun Under has required patience and adaptability.
Despite these challenges, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have family and a strong circle of friends who have supported me along the way. Their encouragement and belief in what I’m building have been invaluable in navigating the ups and downs.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’ve always been a bit of a jack of all trades when it comes to creating. Over the years, I’ve explored painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic design, woodworking, metalworking, glassworking, photography, video, acting, and more. Each of these experiences has shaped the way I approach projects, whether it’s research, creative, technical, or experiential. They’ve taught me to think across disciplines, to see connections where others might not, and to approach challenges with curiosity and adaptability.
Right now, my focus is primarily on digital illustration for our Sun Under apparel lines and producing video content for social media. These outlets allow me to merge storytelling, design, and car culture in ways that feel immediate and tangible. It’s rewarding to see ideas come to life and have that work resonate with the community. I love sharing with friends a video or design I am working on and getting their feedback, whether or not they liked it and why. Taking that feedback and creating something even greater.
What I’m most proud of is what we’ve built with Sun Under. This is my first company hosting events, and while it’s not my first apparel project, it represents the culmination of years of trial, error, and learning. Every attempt along the way has taught me something new about design, manufacturing, storytelling, and, most importantly, how to engage a community authentically.
What sets my work apart is the way I blend multiple disciplines, art, design, engineering, and automotive culture, into a cohesive experience that connects with people both visually and emotionally. I’m not just creating products or organizing events; I’m curating moments, designing experiences, and building culture in a way that feels thoughtful, dynamic, and true to the passions that inspired me in the first place.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is a very elusive and loaded concept. To me, it is less about a finished product and more about the process itself. I define success by what you learn from an experience and whether the final result accomplishes the goal you set out to achieve. True success, in my view, comes from biting off more than you think you can handle and still finding your way to the other side. You might not have checked every box you were hoping for, or the outcome might look different than you envisioned, but you made it to the finish line.
Success is about growth, resilience, and the lessons you carry forward. It’s about how challenges shape you, how setbacks teach you to adapt, and how effort, persistence, and creativity allow you to move forward even when things get messy, aren’t straightforward or predictable. It’s less about perfection and more about progress, reflection, and the confidence to keep taking risks. In many ways, success is measured by your ability to embrace the journey, to push boundaries, and to continue building and learning with each step, regardless of the immediate outcome.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sunundermiami.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/sunundermiami
Image Credits
Terence Fung – FKF Media
