CNN
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Helmut Lang’s newly appointed creative director, Peter Do, had a series of not-so-easy tasks. The quintessentially cool ’90s fashion label has spent many years at a loss, despite its continued influence. He then combined that aesthetic with his own. At New York Fashion Week he will present his collection as the first official runway of the Spring/Summer 2024 season (his only two presentations so far on the schedule). And just a few weeks later, he presented another collection for his eponymous label in Paris.
“I haven’t slept in a while,” Du told CNN with a small chuckle during a group interview backstage at the New York show.
When the 32-year-old Du’s appointment was announced in May, there was excitement in the fashion world at the prospect of the minimalist brand being reimagined by the Vietnamese-born designer. Lang said he left the brand in 2005. Since then, both its owners and creative leaders have changed hands, with the role of “editor-in-residence” briefly replacing Michael and Nicole Kolovos in 2014, followed by a long hiatus.
Helmut Lang
Do was tasked with reviving the 90s minimalist brand in 2023. No one has been a creative director since 2014.
Helmut Lang
The collection featured new interpretations of suits inspired by New York City and automobiles, as well as staples such as t-shirts and tank tops.
“As a lover of the original Helmut Lang, I was very happy that they made an effort to revitalize the brand, because it is still very relevant,” he said before going independent. said designer Derek Lam, who worked for the brand Do. , on the phone with CNN. “And I think it was great to have someone as strong as Peter in them.”
“America’s designers are sometimes a little bit off the beaten path. They’re designing with someone (other) in mind,” Lamb continued. “I think he personifies his clothes.”
A graduate of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, Do worked for Phoebe Philo at Celine & Lum before launching her eponymous brand in 2018. Since then, she’s quickly amassed a following, including Zendaya and Rihanna. His evocative interpretations of men’s and women’s suits quickly spread as follows. layered backless ensemble The Do launched last September (a twist on the previous Fall/Winter 2019 design). Modeled after K-pop musician JENO’s runway.
Cindy Ord/Getty Images
Do’s mother sat in the front row, and after bowing at the end of the show, the two exchanged a long hug.
But the first garments to appear on Friday afternoon in a breezy, cavernous industrial area on Manhattan’s Lower East Side included a pink striped jacket draped over a model’s shoulders. Asymmetrical lightweight unbuttoned shirt with collar. It was clear that Doe leaned into the poetry of the moment. In fact, literally, he commissioned Vietnamese-American poet Ocean Vuong to write words for the collection, which are written in large letters on the floor of the room and on black tank tops and high-necked white shirts. It was written small. Lines like “When was the last time you were?” When was the last time? ” Dou spoke of the “beautiful freedom” that he wanted to instill in a new version of Helmut Lang.
Helmut Lang
Poet Ocean Vuong, author of “Time is a Mother” and “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” contributed text to the new collection in various forms.
Helmut Lang
Lines of Vuong’s poetry were depicted not only on the runway floor, but also on multiple garments. Mr. Vuong also contributed the opening letter, which was played as audio.
Vuong also wrote the opening letter for the show, talking about the car as one of Do’s inspirations for the collection. The feeling of abandonment and endless possibilities on the road, with its unique symbolism for LGBTQ people, and the feeling of a fun ride, expressed in the Vietnamese word “di chup gió”, which means “to catch the wind” .
Do immigrated to the United States when he was 14 years old. Growing up on a farm in Vietnam, he recalled behind the scenes how his family’s new car felt like a specific marker of time and opportunity. “We moved to Philadelphia because her mother owns a car…The freedom to go where we want to go is something we all take for granted,” he explained.
Doe’s collection was also a hymn to New York City, or “fasting.” Across five boroughs, it tells the energetic and chaotic way of life. Models wore shades of yellow cabs and loose graphics of newspaper, filtered into space by a grid pattern, but in the show’s finale, they fell into the rhythm of passersby on the street, their fleeting lives adjoining Did. The familiar sounds of the MTA’s “Stand Clear of the Closing Doors” also rang out, amidst the moving piano notes and audio of Mr. Vuong’s opening letter.
Cindy Ord/Getty Images
After walking in a grid formation, the models were dispersed at the end of the show to recreate the hustle and bustle of the streets.
Cindy Ord/Getty Images
The cinematic runway show included special homages to New York, including audio clips from the subway.
Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
Do said he hopes the new collection will appeal to more than just “fashion people.”
This designer expresses many of the traits that its 90s predecessors were famous for. A limited palette, a sense of counterculture and rebellion, rendered elegant and neat, even deconstructed, combining luxurious fabrics and tailoring alongside practical, everyday items. But in Dou’s eyes, classic Lang pieces like paint-splattered cream jeans have been color-blocked, and the brand’s signature straps and harnesses have been replaced with pink and yellow seatbelt-like bands. Ta.
Still, Do said he wants to clarify his vision for the brand and break through the “noise”, including attracting a broader audience than just “the fashion crowd.” “I want prices to be affordable…I want people like my mom to be able to go to the store and buy beautiful dresses and mortgage-free suits that they can wear for the rest of their lives.”
Do’s mother, who was sitting in the front row, wept as they hugged each other as the final models left the floor at the end of the show. Doo’s debut event was also attended by actors Jodie Turner-Smith, Amandla Stenberg, Hari Nef, and Korean-American singer Tiffany Young.
Do won’t have much time to breathe (or sleep) until the first exhibition for his label in Paris, but he’s looking forward to it nonetheless.
“I want my brand to be more intentional, more subtle, and to reflect where I am in my life right now,” Dou said backstage. “I started the brand six years before him, when I was 26, and now I’m 32. I live a different life. I found my voice. Therefore, ( You’ll find it very different from Helmut Lang.”