Before today, all there was substantially of Helmut Lang was in its lore. But with Peter Do’s reincarnation of the label, its allure may finally get the second life it deserves.
Tirelessly studied, documented and (undoubtedly) copied, Helmut Lang’s designs reframed the aesthetics of contemporary minimal wear. The label has armed Depop resellers and eBay archive enthusiasts with a language to talk about fashion as it were religious scripture. But the label hasn’t always had it easy after the departure of its founder — a slow decline in appeal as maximalist trends overtook its reigns. And despite a brief revival stint by Shayne Oliver, the brand has never felt quite complete.
Do’s reintroduction, however, makes a truly compelling comeback. Shockingly, what may have appeared in Spring/Summer 1997 makes a refusal to persist into Spring/Summer 2024 — contrary to what most would expect of a revival. The new collection stands on its own as Peter Do in the guise of Helmut Lang. Absent are Lang’s tropes that many would argue to be the core of the label. In fact, don’t expect to find any resemblance of chest-barring tank tops or Prada-esque dresses. They’re not here.
It‘s daring. For a label that has accumulated a profound association to archive fashion, putting up a proposal of shirts adorning Vietnamese poetry instead of erecting revivals seems like complete self-sabotage. But in Do’s case, what mattered more were the stories Lang procured — being an immigrant with big dreams in New York. After all, the creative director belongs to a generation of minimalist designers born of Lang’s influence who have shared a similar path.
“To catch the wind”, as the collection’s artist collaborator Ocean Vuong narrated in its “show notes”. Indeed, even the success of Do’s own label backs this up, which shows that the industry once tranced by Lang’s minimalism is still heavily intoxicated with it — its designs are after all the norm in fashion today. Perhaps what was necessary for its survival was a new voice and new set of rules.
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