Peter Do - Designer, Creative Director of Helmut Lang

[velvetandsilk]

The problem is that in the contemporary world, subtle elegance with fashion elements seem archaic to the average fashion consumer.

 

[LadyJunon]

The problem is that in the contemporary world, subtle elegance with fashion elements seem archaic to the average fashion consumer.

That's because high fashion was become entertainment used to market perfumes and bags, whereas two decades ago, all of those parts had equal ground.

High fashion is now seen almost exclusively through a bidimensional audiovisual focused lens by most people

 

[Deleted member 7575]

That's because high fashion was become entertainment used to market perfumes and bags, whereas two decades ago, all of those parts had equal ground.

High fashion is now seen almost exclusively through a bidimensional audiovisual focused lens by most people

Not really though. Before fashion became conglomeratized, most brands made a huge majority of their revenue through licensing.

Bad licensing *cough* *ysl* *cough*

 

[Deleted member 7575]

I don’t think Hedi ever mentioned being influenced by a designer…Maybe YSL even if it’s very obvious but I don’t recall. But when you look at his work at YSL and Dior Homme, you see a direct lineage. Nicolas, RAF and even Riccardo have referenced Helmut Lang and you the influence of his work in their aesthetic but it’s mixed with a lot of things.
What was interesting about was really the structure of the business beyond the aesthetic.
In terms of aesthetic there was that idea of extreme modernity, Hedi used to work on fabric development, the concept behind the music of the shows, stores that looked very modern and almost futuristic and this kind of almost break with the past. It was also the idea of the silhouette…

And when you look at the business of Dior Homme, it was build on jeans and sneakers.

Hedi’s real advantage was the name Dior. Because the name Dior evokes luxury. Helmut Lang is a brand that was IT at a time where there was still a kind of separation behind fashion and luxury. Only die-hard fans bought shoes and bags from Helmut Lang.

Bags and shoes are status symbols and people wanted to buy shoes and bags from quote on quote luxury brands. And that have been the problem for a lot of designers from the 80’s/90’s. If you think about it, Alaia is the only one of those « créateurs » who has acquired luxury status. It downsized so much that it became exclusive and therefore perceived as luxurious.

When you look at it, Montana, Mugler, Gaultier, Margiela and even Ferre and others never succeeded with accessories.

The name Dior added a touch of glamour to Hedi’s work. Progressive runway shows, intelligent merchandising, good quality and a quite fast expansion assured the success of Hedi. Suddenly there was a brand where men could wear head to toe silhouettes. Gucci under Tom Ford was very strong in menswear but it had a fashion approach that I don’t think a lot of men followed from to seasons to seasons (except for die-hard fans).

‘And in a way, it also worked with Balenciaga by Nicolas when they launched accessories because the idea of capsules was very similar to what Helmut did with his brand.

Balenciaga and Dior Homme were the brands that defined a certain idea of fashion for the 00’s. Tom Ford wasn’t there and the Prada look was very influential but didn’t defined a silhouette or a mood and so those disciples of Helmut Lang in a way became the voices. And men and women could wear those brands from Head to Toe without looking like label W***.

Which is ironic because today wearing Balenciaga and Dior Homme head to toe is the definition of a fashion victim.

Astute and flawless analysis per usual.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

Didn't Helmut and Hedi share designers?

Didn't Nicolas Andreas Taralis work for both?

 

[LadyJunon]

Not really though. Before fashion became conglomeratized, most brands made a huge majority of their revenue through licensing.

Bad licensing *cough* *ysl* *cough*

I forgot about that...

In my defence, they always like to erase that fact from the brand's history.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

I forgot about that...

In my defence, they always like to erase that fact from the brand's history.

It's been awhile.

 

[Phuel]

I don’t think Hedi ever mentioned being influenced by a designer…Maybe YSL even if it’s very obvious but I don’t recall. But when you look at his work at YSL and Dior Homme, you see a direct lineage. Nicolas, RAF and even Riccardo have referenced Helmut Lang and you the influence of his work in their aesthetic but it’s mixed with a lot of things.
What was interesting about was really the structure of the business beyond the aesthetic.
In terms of aesthetic there was that idea of extreme modernity, Hedi used to work on fabric development, the concept behind the music of the shows, stores that looked very modern and almost futuristic and this kind of almost break with the past. It was also the idea of the silhouette…

And when you look at the business of Dior Homme, it was build on jeans and sneakers.

Hedi’s real advantage was the name Dior. Because the name Dior evokes luxury. Helmut Lang is a brand that was IT at a time where there was still a kind of separation behind fashion and luxury. Only die-hard fans bought shoes and bags from Helmut Lang.

Bags and shoes are status symbols and people wanted to buy shoes and bags from quote on quote luxury brands. And that have been the problem for a lot of designers from the 80’s/90’s. If you think about it, Alaia is the only one of those « créateurs » who has acquired luxury status. It downsized so much that it became exclusive and therefore perceived as luxurious.

When you look at it, Montana, Mugler, Gaultier, Margiela and even Ferre and others never succeeded with accessories.

The name Dior added a touch of glamour to Hedi’s work. Progressive runway shows, intelligent merchandising, good quality and a quite fast expansion assured the success of Hedi. Suddenly there was a brand where men could wear head to toe silhouettes. Gucci under Tom Ford was very strong in menswear but it had a fashion approach that I don’t think a lot of men followed from to seasons to seasons (except for die-hard fans).

‘And in a way, it also worked with Balenciaga by Nicolas when they launched accessories because the idea of capsules was very similar to what Helmut did with his brand.

Balenciaga and Dior Homme were the brands that defined a certain idea of fashion for the 00’s. Tom Ford wasn’t there and the Prada look was very influential but didn’t defined a silhouette or a mood and so those disciples of Helmut Lang in a way became the voices. And men and women could wear those brands from Head to Toe without looking like label W***.

Which is ironic because today wearing Balenciaga and Dior Homme head to toe is the definition of a fashion victim.

Thanks, Lola. Hedi is almost if not blatantly obsessively guarded about his influences in terms of his contemporaries. I thought maybe he may have spoken of Helmut since it is so persistent in his Dior Homme foundation of construction and fabrication, as well as attitude (and of course, the denim presence), and undeniably in this omnipresent tribute in fashion, from so many designers, from Raf to Phoebe (Raf had sited Helmut as the reason he was inspired to become a designer).

And Hedi deserves more credit than he’s been given for, for being that phoenix that raised Dior’s at-best-servicable menswear from the ashes of licensing purgatory. Frankly, who ever remembers Dior menswear before Hedi transformed it into Dior Homme (....or after)???Whatever goodwill, high fashion/high-end association the Dior menswear may have had the potential for, came directly from the womenswear side. Before Dior Homme, Dior “menswear" was just another generic dusty, fuddy-duddy brand further diluted by budget licensing shirt/tie combo giftset at the average midrange department store. I get he’s as much despised as he’s revered, but to say Hedi did wonders for Dior menswear— and high fashion menswear in general, is an understatement.

(…I still wear every single OG Helmut and DH piece I own to this day. And I still listen to Hedi's entire Dior Homme soundtrack to this day. Shame the full shows are still unavailable to this day.)

Timeless (and very Helmut). The tailoring and cut of the suits, the trenches, the leathers and the impeccable shoulders brings me to tears of joy. Such sheer, disciplined, artistic intelligence that’s all but gone these days. 2023 can keep its sloppy childrenswear/clownwear/halloween costumes and heinous cuts:

 

[LadyJunon]

A preview of Peter Do's first collection for Helmut Lang, which will be shown on Sept. 8:


Also, his eponymous label will be holding its SS24 show in Paris:

 

[Lola701]

Why do I feel like it would have been better the way around?

 

[GivenchyAddict]

Absolutely, if they want people to care again about HL. Show it in Paris. You will be sure to have most of people to attend it and to be around the hottest brands.

 

[Phuel]

Already so tired of it for that nostalgia-baiting videoclip. ...Zzzzzzzz...

 

[LadyJunon]

Why do I feel like it would have been better the way around?

Absolutely, if they want people to care again about HL. Show it in Paris. You will be sure to have most of people to attend it and to be around the hottest brands.

My best guess is that the suits at Helmut Lang probably want to keep the brand's "American-ness", when in truth, the brand was very Germanic/European.

Since both cities are quite important to the brand, it would be interesting to alternate between the two. For example: Summer - Paris/Winter - New York. Balenciaga did that back in 2002/03.

As for Peter Do's eponymous label, showing in Paris isn't new for him. His first collections before the pandemic were shown via showrooms in Paris during the menswear shows as international buyers usually avoided New York. He'd planned on doing his first show in Paris, but the pandemic restrictions didn't allow it.

 

[jeanclaude]

I expect revamped archival pieces here. Nothing new.

 

[LadyJunon]

I expect revamped archival pieces here. Nothing new.

Knowing Peter Do, he'll just add strings and ties everywhere to make it "original". He's a technician, but he has absolutely no imagination.

 

[Lola701]

My best guess is that the suits at Helmut Lang probably want to keep the brand's "American-ness", when in truth, the brand was very Germanic/European.

Since both cities are quite important to the brand, it would be interesting to alternate between the two. For example: Summer - Paris/Winter - New York. Balenciaga did that back in 2002/03.

As for Peter Do's eponymous label, showing in Paris isn't new for him. His first collections before the pandemic were shown via showrooms in Paris during the menswear shows as international buyers usually avoided New York. He'd planned on doing his first show in Paris, but the pandemic restrictions didn't allow it.

What I suspect is that the suits are cheap and they are careful in the way they want to invest in that « New Helmut Lang ».
Showing in Paris means more visibility and a bigger voice but in NYC, it’s a bit on a budget and in a way it’s also a bit of a gamble for them.
They will probably have a showroom in Paris depending on the response of the collection.

The reality is that HL has been quite irrelevant anyway as a brand so any effort from Peter Do will be positively received.

It was a different scenario when Nicolas showed in NYFW. The first time, I think Anna wanted him to be known and seen (like she knows how to do with the designers she supports) and the second time they had the first international store.

Helmut Lang is seeking relevance and really, I’m not sure that showing where nobody shows is a good idea. But who knows…

‘Peter Do understand that. Success in Paris or Europe is difficult for an American brand but those who succeeded have a particular cachet.

I’m not sure Peter has something that will make him standout in Paris.

 

[Kennnnn]

I think Helmut Lang has a special connection with NY, in a way. I remember the store in SoHo - was it the brand's first major international store? - and how radical it was. From the outside, just rows of black shelving, with no merchandise in sight. That was also when the brand really took off in a big way I think - the very end of the '90s, and his presence in NY I believe played a big role in it.

Helmut Lang's aesthetic has of course always been very Germanic/European, but the look really resonated in NY too, even if only for a very brief cultural moment.

So I actually like that they are showing in NY. And I do hope Peter Do does a good job with it. The Fast Retailing money is there, so I hope he brings the vision.

 

[Thefrenchy]

Given how tragic this brand has become, I'd be fine with Do if he didn't try to reinvent the wheel there and just slightly tweaked the archives. Even visually. HL was so ahead of his time, the imagery is still referenced / on the moodboards of every fashion house that cares about the visuals they put out. Redo those 1997-98-99 ads for SS24 and I won't complain.

 

[LadyJunon]

Was scrolling through Dylan Mehki's page and found this:
Helmut Lang RS22/23:
Peter Do SS23:

Dylan Mehki works as an assistant designer at Helmut Lang and will probably be working as Do's second-in-command, so this is very interesting to see.

 

[jeanclaude]

Was scrolling through Dylan Mehki's page and found this:
Helmut Lang RS22/23:
Peter Do SS23:

Dylan Mehki works as an assistant designer at Helmut Lang and will probably be working as Do's second-in-command, so this is very interesting to see.

Peter Do clothes with a Helmut Lang tag...groundbreaking!