Helmut Lang homes in on suits for both genders this fall

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Feb 12, 2019

It was another win for Helmut Lang this fall, as the heritage label’s revival continued to soar, spearheaded by a strong creative team with a passion for the house’s core principals.

Held inside Union West Events in a wide, white, bench-lined space, the label that reigned supreme in the 90s displayed a Autumn/Winter 2019 collection with all the coveted minimalism of its roots. Tailored to a contemporary audience of the young and fashion obsessed, attendees this season included rapper A$AP Ferg, model Paloma Elsesser and music virtuoso, Dev Hynes.  

On the floor, a co-ed cast of models cut their way through the room in a range of skirts, blouses, gowns, matching sets and outerwear, in a palette of mostly grey, black and white. Striking pops of color included a "his and hers" version of a bubblegum pink twill set, as well as several crimson pieces.

Military parkas featured for women in cream wool and silk fringe, while men received the same, but in ethereal polyurethane.The fall looks were grounded by a meticulous selection of fabrics that honored the brand’s heritage, with simple silhouettes coming to life in grey wool flannel, lava-colored melton wool, shining black leather and double-face white viscose.

Conceptually, the collection brought the precise tailoring of the suit to a fresh, omnisex level that felt natural for the brand’s clean aesthetic, particularly relevant as a style explored by Helmut Lang more recently through a collaboration with Parley for the Oceans.

When it came to the new collection, this design strategy was bolstered by an intricate menswear experience, as described by Helmut Lang’s creative director of women’s and men’s, Mark Thomas.

“From the beginning, what I really wanted to achieve was a new uniform for today,” Thomas told FashionNetwork.com. “It’s very based around sartorial this season [...] we started looking at a suit, and how a suit could be translated for a man and a woman; [from] the dress into trousers, to really give it all of the iterations.”

Thomas, who worked alongside Helmut Lang’s creative director of jeans, Thomas Cawson, on this latest collection, was appointed as the label’s creative director of menswear in October of 2017, before later having his role expanded to encompass both women’s and men’s.

While those loyal to the original Helmut Lang might bristle to hear it, all signs indicate that the name’s new blood is continuing to pump life into the iconic label’s heart.