HELMUT LANG

HELMUT LANG, AN AUSTRIAN FASHION AUTODIDACT, STARTED HIS BRAND IN 1977 OUT OF A FASHION STUDIO IN VIENNA. IN 1979, AT THE AGE OF 23, HIS BRAND GAINED SUCCESS IN HIS HOME COUNTRY WITH THE OPENING OF HIS FIRST BOUTIQUE, ALTHOUGH IT WAS ONLY IN 1986 THAT LANG LAUNCHED HIS LABEL “HELMUT LANG” IN PARIS AFTER PARTICIPATING IN AN EXHIBITION AT THE CENTRE POMPIDOU. HELMUT LANG’S PEAK WAS IN THE 1990S WHEN HE INTRODUCED HIS NOW-ICONIC DENIM COLLECTIONS, USING DECONSTRUCTED TAILORING AND HIGH-TECH FABRICS.

CONSIDERED A PIONEER IN MINIMALISM AND INSPIRED BY YOUTH CULTURE, HELMUT LANG SUCCEEDED WITH HIS STYLE, REVOLUTIONIZING THE EIGHTIES LUXURY FASHION AND APPROACHING FASHION WITH A MODERN AND CONCEPTUAL VIEW. LANG’S FASCINATION FOR UNIFORMS, INCLUDING THOSE OF POLICE OFFICERS, CAN BE FOUND IN HIS TIMELESS DESIGNS, SUCH AS THE BULLETPROOF VEST. AS TIME WENT BY, UNDERWEAR AND JEANS LINES WERE ADDED TO THE BRAND, AS WELL AS ACCESSORIES, FOOTWEAR AND FRAGRANCES LATER ON WHILE KEEPING THE STRUCTURE OF THE BRAND UNIFIED WITH BOTH THE WOMEN’S AND MEN'S LINE UNDER A SINGLE LABEL.

IN 2005, LANG RESIGNED FROM THE LABEL TO PURSUE FINE ART, LEAVING BEHIND HIM ICONIC PIECES SUCH AS THE ASTRO JACKET OR THE PAINT-SPLATTERED JEANS THAT ARE STILL VERY COVETED UP TO THIS DAY. AFTER THE SUCCESSION OF MANY DESIGNERS AT THE HEAD OF CREATIVE DIRECTION, THE BRAND WAS RE-LAUNCHED IN 2017 BY ISABELLA BURLEY, EDITOR OF THE MAGAZINE DAZED, OPENING A NEW ERA FOR THE BRAND, GOING BACK TO ITS ORIGINS WITH THE RE-EDITION COLLECTION WHILE ADAPTING TO TODAY'S STYLE AND DEMANDS. THAT SAME YEAR HOOD BY AIR’S DESIGNER, SHAYNE OLIVER, STARTED WORKING ON SOME OF HELMUT LANG'S COLLECTIONS, ADDING HIS AESTHETIC TO THE LABEL. UP TO THIS DAY, HELMUT LANG THRIVES WITH BOTH THE RE-EDITION COLLECTIONS AND THE COLLABORATIONS WITH ARTISTS TO CREATE MODERN AND SUCCESSFUL PIECES.