Peter Do - Designer, Creative Director of Helmut Lang

[vogue28]

 

[GivenchyAddict]

Makes sense. Better have Helmut Lang at Helmut Lang than at Peter Do as he spends much of his time referencing Helmut.

Happy for him but his brand becomes stale quite quickly due to his very narrow aesthetic so now creating for two brands I am a bit afraid but wait and see.

 

[Norden]

Great now we can have black tents to wear at Lang. I’m not into his work. I find him very one dimensional (even though his last collection tried very hard to prove flexibility)

 

[Deleted member 7575]

Everyone I know is into him but I really don't get it.

I predict it's going to be yet another failed attempt by Fast Retailing.

But who knows. Maybe I'll be surprised.

 

[helmutnotdead]

we all know he’ll flop in two years or less.

 

[helmutnotdead]

just close the damn brand.

 

[tricotineacetat]

The only designer who did a decent job making Helmut Lang appear as something I could see myself wanting to come back to after Helmut's departure was Naoki Takizawa. He understood there was a pragmatism about the brand that made it appealing to customers of all ages and that a Helmut Lang garment should be more than a few straps randomly plastered on classic garments.

 

[LadyJunon]

The full article:

Exclusive: Peter Do Named Creative Director of Helmut Lang
He will continue to helm his epoynmous brand.

By LISA LOCKWOOD
MAY 10, 2023, 12:00PM

Peter Do, known for his effortless cool factor and fine tailoring, has been named creative director of Helmut Lang, effective this coming Monday.

Rumors of Do’s appointment have been circulating for months.

Do will oversee all creative responsibilities for the women’s and men’s collections, and his debut collection for spring 2024 will be presented during New York Fashion Week in September. He will continue to helm his own eponymous brand.

Do will be based at the Helmut Lang design studio at Fast Retailing’s Design and Innovation Center in New York and will report to Dinesh Tandon, chief executive officer of Helmut Lang, who also heads Theory.

Most recently, Helmut Lang has been designed by a studio team. In the past, others who have held creative roles at Helmut Lang include Mark Howard Thomas, who has been creative director, men’s wear, Thomas Cawson, who has been design director and creative director, denim, and Shayne Oliver, who has been designer in residence.

“We are thrilled to have Peter Do join Helmut Lang as creative director. His clear and innovative approach to design very much aligns with the brand’s ethos and heritage. His experience with luxury fashion houses and his acclaimed eponymous label make him a natural choice for this role,” said Tandon.

Do was born in Bien Hoa, Vietnam, and immigrated to the suburbs of Philadelphia at 14 years old. He studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and was the recipient of the inaugural 2014 LVMH Graduate Prize. He then took a job in the ready-to-wear atelier at Celine under Phoebe Philo and later at Derek Lam. In 2018, he launched his own eponymous label.

Do’s affinity for Lang began during his formative years studying at FIT, he said.

“No one embodied radical thinking more definitively than Helmut Lang,” said Do. “It is my deep honor to be entrusted with ushering in the next chapter of Helmut Lang’s legacy. I am excited to learn from the foundations this house stands on and to continue creating new, energetic clothes that inspire people to challenge their understanding of what is possible when it comes to expressing their individuality,” he said.

Helmut Lang, which was established in 1986, is well known for its pioneering minimalism, engagement with artists and challenges to orthodoxy. The brand pays homage to its namesake [Helmut Lang left the industry 18 years ago] with a progressive approach across rtw, special edition capsules and multidisciplinary collaborations.

Do was unavailable Wednesday to further discuss his new role.

When Do launched his designer collection, he was quickly seen as the new guard of fashion, building his brand through social media. After unveiling his namesake collection for spring 2019 during Paris market — without a show, presentation or press — he landed nine confirmed stockists, including Net-a-porter and Dover Street Market Ginza, London and New York.

“This whole brand was put together by word-of-mouth and Instagram,” said Do in a 2018 WWD interview. While the Instagram posts got him noticed, his aesthetic, variety of looks, and confident blend of refinement, whimsy and comfort got him orders.

In the 2018 interview, he said, “Peter Do is a brand built on the internet. It’s important to remember that just because a brand is online, does not mean it has to be impersonal. This is how our generation interacts. As a brand, we’re embracing this shift. I want my customer to feel connected with the brand.”

Last year, Do forged a collaboration with Opening Ceremony, which launched exclusively on Farfetch. And in September, Do unveiled a partnership with Korea’s SM Entertainment, which has him working with the company’s roster of K-pop stars. The deal came about after Do dressed South Korean boy band NCT member Johnny Suh for the 2022 Met Gala in a sexy black silk tuxedo with a vest, no shirt, long coat and white side stripe pants, with square-toed boots.

It was considered the ideal way for Do to tease his menswear debut, which was made official on the runway last September.

Reached for comment about the news, Julie Gilhart, chief development officer of Tomorrow and president of Tomorrow Projects, said, “I think this is a terrific choice. I think Peter is a great designer. His last show in New York was spectacular, and I think he will have a lot of support for this. People appreciate his great design, his hard work and his attention to detail. It’s not easy building a business, and most designers need to fund their business with other things. They’re all looking for ideas that can help them get through this period.”

Asked whether she feels Do’s aesthetic matches well with Lang’s, she added, “There’s only one Helmut Lang, but [Do] has an artistic approach, he has a certain dare and a certain strong idea of presentation and design. It think it does match some of the ideas Helmut had. Peter will interpret this in his own way.”

Source: WWD

 

[LadyJunon]

If this was done 2-3 years ago, when Peter Do was still producing those really sharp, sexy collections, I would have been excited for it...

 

[Lola701]

Recently, the only person who did Helmut Lang perfectly was Raf at Calvin Klein. It was a very good Helmut Lang…

Helmut wasn’t one dimensional contrary to the image people have of his work. It was very sexy sometimes, always warm and while it had a connection with Art, it was not pretentious.

‘I feel like they are trying to tap into that « Quiet luxury » vibe and in that sense they are clever.
I don’t know (to not say I don’t think) if Peter has the range to do Helmut Lang but at least it will put the brand back into the fashion conversation and it can help him to transform his hype into something more tangible.

Let’s hope that they don’t go crazy with the prices and that his studio won’t be 100% American…

 

[jeanclaude]

So...was this the reason why his latests collections have been so bland? Was he so busy with his new job at Lang??

Let´s wait and see...but I have zero excitement for this.

 

[Cocteau Stone]

Really??? I get why, but at the same time do we have to try to make Helmut Lang a thing again after so many attempts. Beating a dead horse.

Let's see if he gets sexy, sinuous but equally as easy to wear at Lang. There was always a bit of humour to it that added to the charm and longevity of Lang (same at Margiela) that always feels playfully mature. I think many mistake the austerity of Lang's shows as meaning his entire vision was austere, but it just allowed the clothes to speak for themselves. Wonder if Do can achieve that.

 

[tricotineacetat]

The idea of the Helmut Lang brand being owned by Fast Retail could have been perfect if you keep in mind what they achieved with Jil Sander and Christophe Lemaire - To me, Helmut Lang is less of a 'luxury' brand and more of a provider for sturdy and hard-wearing clothes for a kind of modern Marlon Brando archtype - You go there for iconic staples such as clean-wash or raw denim, cotton rib tank top, moleskin chesterfield coat etc. - This is something quite closely aligned with where Uniqlo stands and by making it a brand that markets and advertises itself in a way that is different from other luxury or contemporary brands, could have felt fresh and exciting.

 

[tricotineacetat]

As much as these last few shows Helmut presented in Paris between 2003 and 2005 were visually impactful and they hold nostalgic value for the first runway shows I went to, I don't think those were the collections that really nailed Helmut's legacy the most and are the most emblematic of what Helmut's trademarks were. A look into the closet of his loyal fans would have told another story and where they went after his departure would have revealed a whole other truth.

I'd like to believe Hedi Slimane's Dior Homme and the then-emerging Rick Owens were his most natural successors and in many ways you could find shadows of Helmut Lang's work in their collections.

 

[Beun]

It doesn't seem that bad a decision... He's a better fit than the Meiers at JS, who ruined the brand's identity. I hope that he'll manage to respectively build on the austere minimalism of Lang, and will avoid "sexyfying" the brand beyond recognition, like LdSS did with Demeulemeester

 

[lhhbl]

I believe good things can come out of this. Peter - as we all know - has an editing problem, but with two brands he might be forced to edit more and deliver more interesting things. Actually, he might already be delivering but it's so much quantity that we're not able to pay attention anymore.
I'm curious and intrigued and hoping the brand revives!

 

[LadyJunon]

I believe good things can come out of this. Peter - as we all know - has an editing problem, but with two brands he might be forced to edit more and deliver more interesting things. Actually, he might already be delivering but it's so much quantity that we're not able to pay attention anymore.

I'm curious and intrigued and hoping the brand revives!

Peter Do is a good designer, but he caves into the direct wants of his clientele way too easily, something that can quickly drown out a designer's sartorial voice.

The biggest examples of that were the bastardisation of his signature 4-piece-suit, the overly long collections, the oversaturation of those hideous platform boots, the needless introduction of menswear and the new "S-M-L" brand sizing.

Hopefully, the Helmut Lang appointment will force him to balance his output and find another facet in his vision as he'll have to form a healthy distance between Helmut Lang and his eponymous label for both to succeed.

It doesn't seem that bad a decision... He's a better fit than the Meiers at JS, who ruined the brand's identity. I hope that he'll manage to respectively build on the austere minimalism of Lang, and will avoid "sexyfying" the brand beyond recognition, like LdSS did with Demeulemeester

I don't think that Peter Do is really the "sexy designer" type, but I think that there's a slight risk of his work being too polite and lacking of the humour and erotic undertones Lang had.

 

[andrew]

I just want silk denim and faux bondage accessories, maybe a nice coat. I don’t feel this is a big ask.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

Peter Do is a good designer, but he caves into the direct wants of his clientele way too easily, something that can quickly drown out a designer's sartorial voice.

The biggest examples of that were the bastardisation of his signature 4-piece-suit, the overly long collections, the oversaturation of those hideous platform boots, the needless introduction of menswear and the new "S-M-L" brand sizing.

Hopefully, the Helmut Lang appointment will force him to balance his output and find another facet in his vision as he'll have to form a healthy distance between Helmut Lang and his eponymous label for both to succeed.



I don't think that Peter Do is really the "sexy designer" type, but I think that there's a slight risk of his work being too polite and lacking of the humour and erotic undertones Lang
had.

I don't understand the logic of blaming the clientele for him being a bad designer.

Those are HIS choices. It's HIS name on the label.

No one is forcing him to send anything down his runway that he doesn't want to.

And how much of a "clientele" does he even have?

 

[LadyJunon]

Those are HIS choices. It's HIS name on the label.

You'd think that until you read any recent interview on how this man designs.

He has claimed a couple to times find himself at odds with what he wants as a designer and what his audience demands from him.

He often bends to his audience to "keep the lights on". It's depressing to read.