Peter Do’s top ten archival references at Helmut Lang20 Images
Yesterday, Peter Do announced that he would be stepping down as creative director of Helmut Lang, after taking on the role in May 2023. “I want to express my gratitude to my Helmut Lang team who have been integral in supporting my vision,” said the designer in a statement. “It’s been an incredible journey to be tasked to carry on the legacy of Helmut Lang.”
Though Do’s tenure was short-lived, his collections (four, in total) were committed to carrying on that legacy, and one of the main ways he did that was by digging into the OG archive and putting new spins on signature pieces. To celebrate his time at the house, we’ve trawled through both Do’s own collections and the original archive to bring you the top ten times Peter Do referenced his predecessor Helmut Lang. Scroll down for the entire list.
Though Lang’s colour palette, for the most part, stayed largely monochromatic, the designer was prone to pops of brilliant colour, like this fuschia sash worn by Amber Valetta for SS99. For his debut collection, Do mirrored those diagonal strips of fabric on singer Moses Sumney with a hot pink seatbelt.
Speaking of seatbelts, a Lang signature was of course all manner of straps, harnesses and safety belts, used throughout his AW03 collection. Chosen for their utilitarian references, there was also a whiff of kink to them too, and those references were all over Do’s SS24 collection, remade in hot pink, taxi yellow and steely grey.
By the time SS03 had come round, the minimalist aesthetic that had ruled the late 90s was on the way out, and Lang anticipated this by introducing bolder prints and colours. In that spring collection was a selection of chevron striped trousers in contrasting colours, ones that Do found inspiration in for his own versions in 2023, and walked out wearing a pair for his final bow.
Though the bubble wrap shirt is seen as a Lang signature, the designer used the material sparingly on the runway. First debuted for SS03, the shirt was then remade by designer-in-residence Shayne Oliver for SS18, and again by Do in silk material for his AW24 show.
Another Lang classic, the armour vest was debuted at his SS98 menswear show, where models appeared in navy and white variations. Though the piece was clearly inspired by army regalia, the vest was fastened by velcro straps at the side, merging military themes with the mundaneness of everyday life. For his AW24 show, Do remade the SS98 armour vest but also combined it with that previous Lang signature – bubble wrap – for a double archive reference.
Helmut Lang is of course a New York brand, and the designer was originally inspired by the laundry bags sold in Chinatown, so much so that they were used as prints in his SS03 show. For his second catwalk show, Do referenced these prints on dresses, trousers and logo rollnecks.
Lang’s SS03 also heavily dipped into the orange colour palette, one which Do aped for his second time on the New York catwalk. Here, Irina Shayk models a similar cutout style to the one Natalia Vodianova did back in the early 00s.
Lang’s brand was known for its avant-garde innovations, with the designer often deconstructing clothing and leaving the bare bones of the garment exposed, as if the connecting material had disappeared. For SS02, the suggestion of a cardigan neckline is laid over a ribbed tank top, a look that Do referenced for Resort 2025.
You can’t mention Helmut Lang archival references without a nod to the many instances of layering across all his collections. For SS04 he presented a series of intricately layered minidresses, with tanks, shirts and even bags piled on top of each other, which was then repurposed once again for Do’s tenure.
Though Lang was a minimalist and presented largely utilitarian collections, his work was also full of sex appeal. This was ever more apparent when he deconstructed a vest to oblivion, removing everything apart from its neckline. As a nod to that style, Do made a custom reissue for Troye Sivan’s Something To Give Each Other Tour this summer, but with a flesh-coloured tank beneath to protect little Troye’s modesty.
