Peter Do leaves Helmut Lang

In fashion, as in love, it often all boils down to a matter of chemistry. And perhaps it was the chemistry that was missing between Peter Do and Helmut Lang – respectively a young, highly talented designer who continues to produce very sophisticated collections under his own name; and a brand that still lives off the brilliant, iconic reputation it had in the '90s, when the eponymous founder Helmut Lang was actually in charge. In short, a year and a half after joining the brand, Peter Do will leave Helmut Lang, with the upcoming Pre-Fall 2025 being his final collection for the brand. This news is undoubtedly disappointing – nonetheless, it cannot be said that his tenure was unforgettable. This is not due to Do, who excels as a designer when he has greater creative freedom, but because the brand's revival came at a moment when the market was too saturated. Helmut Lang, in short, arrived late to the party.

Various comments from numerous brand fans and insiders express similar frustration: since Lang's departure in 2005, there have already been five official creative directors, not counting Shayne Oliver's one-off collection, which performed more or less well in sales but never managed to capture the magic of the original. It's less about blaming the brand and its leadership and more about the timing: in the '90s, Lang was the only one doing what he did and his particular kind of elevated yet vaguely provocative basics, which often nodded to both the BDSM world and the world of art and underground scenes; today, the various designers who take his place, without that crucial creative independence, continue to produce elevated basics that the market is already saturated with, often from brands with significantly lower price points. This is without mentioning that the “true” pre-2005 Helmut Lang remains highly appreciated and sought after on the secondhand market, undermining the credibility of new collections, which are always seen as inferior to the original. And while Peter Do continues to have a future in fashion, or at least within his niche market, a heavy doubt remains over the future of Helmut Lang: can the brand survive another resurrection?