Is there any designer in New York City more qualified to take Helmut Lang’s helm than Peter Do? The storied NY label, once synonymous with ’90s minimalism, is now being lead by a young NY designer synonymous with contemporary modernism. Perfect.
The designer’s hiring at Helmut Lang is almost too perfect. Two names indicative of two distinct yet intertwined eras of New York fashion, united by a shared love of real clothes and disdain of fashion’s typical trappings.
Do’s appreciation for Helmut Lang’s trailblazing approach is clearly visible in his debut collection, Spring/Summer 2024.
“No one embodied radical thinking more definitively than Helmut Lang,” Do said when he was appointed to lead Helmut Lang. “It is my deep honor to be entrusted with ushering in the next chapter of Helmut Lang’s legacy.”
Titled “Born to Go,” Do’s first Helmut Lang collection was introduced with a brief essay from artist Ocean Vuong. It explored queer identity and the pair’s origin stories by using the car as a metaphor.
Cars have been a core Helmut Lang motif since the days when Lang placed his text-only advertisements atop taxi cabs in the mid-’90s.
Do’s Helmut Lang SS24 collection explores what the designer has titled a “system of dress.” By this, he means versatile sets and separates that blend seamlessly. Black is the shade of the day and the dress code is “elegant” with a dash of “self-assured.”
Unapologetically minimalist, Do’s Helmut Lang clothes are modular, multi-purpose, and limited only by the wearer’s imaginations. There’s black suiting punctuated with yellow tuxedo stripes — perhaps another nod to NYC’s iconic taxi cabs. Draped dresses, sharp jackets, and slinky shirting (also in various shades of black) are easily mixed and matched, exuding effortless cool. Untied from seasons and fashionable inclinations, Do’s Helmut Lang promises perpetual stylishness.
Peter Do, a student of Phoebe Philo, founded his eponymous brand in 2018 upon his graduation from the Fashion Institute…
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