Helmut Lang is one of the rare names in fashion to be associated with key moments in history – this isn’t saying much when learning that the brand was active from 1986 to 2005. Before incarnating his own emblematic label in the 90s, Helmut Lang was first a self-taught Austrian designer who made fashion his canvas of expression for a time. In his architectural fashion, he first explored an asexual style where he released the uniforms of a new generation of modern and urban creative types on the runways of Paris and New York. Pants and white cotton t-shirt, a slip dress and motorcycle boots, a bomber jacket and repainted jeans – Helmut Lang’s icons are common points of reference today. The only thing that’s changed is the tag and the label. Within a brutalist yet poetic vein, the designer has brought the world a hodge podge of classic pieces that, with military and other favorite references, quickly put the whole fashion sphere in a stir.
In 2003, Helmut Lang confided in an interview given to French publication Libération: “For two seasons, I’ve been developing an idea that started 10 years ago, the ‘garment-accessory.’ This responds to a notion of transformable clothing that, according to the one wearing it, offers different ambiances.” For Spring/Summer 2018, Shayne Oliver, founder of Hood by Air, is taking it upon himself to revive Lang’s icons – with the bra bag at the front of the line. Supervised by Isabella Burley, it’s a re-edition of pieces from the brand’s archives. The result is more than successful, just like this immaculate white outfit with masterful minimalism. The new Helmut Lang collection reintroduces its old rules without pushing too much. White on white in an unusual satin, bondage lines, asexual references, and a mastery of dry cuts make for an homage suit that’s more than desirable.
The Helmut Lang label has long been loved for making daily pieces, pieces that aren’t hugely interesting in and of themselves but that make for a depraved luxury. “I just wanted to recall the sensual atmosphere,” highlights Shayne Oliver. It’s definitely in this spirit that he releases his first collection for Helmut Lang – a collection that brings back the subtlety of the self-taught designer-cum-fashion legend’s basic yet tantalizing compositions.
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