Hood By Air – the upstart New York brand which combines underground club and ballroom culture, visceral performative shows and deconstructed, fetishistic silhouettes – is taking a break. Following from last month’s announcement that designer Shayne Oliver would be working on a special project for the soon-to-be-relaunched Helmut Lang, HBA is being put on pause to allow Oliver to focus his attentions on the collection. Set to launch in September, it will incorporate menswear, womenswear, and accessories.
“Oliver will be devoting himself in the immediate future to his responsibilities at Helmut Lang,” read a statement received by Business of Fashion. “HBA will continue to fulfill its creative vision in the near future.”
The news isn’t perhaps completely surprising – rumours began to swirl after HBA cancelled its show in Paris this March. Still, for those who can’t imagine a fashion landscape without it, it bears remembering: a hiatus is just a hiatus. Oliver previously took a few years off the label in 2009 and relaunched it in 2012 with chief executive Leilah Weinraub (who is currently working on a documentary).
Hood By Air is far from the first brand to be taking some time away from the fashion schedule – Raf Simons closed his label for around a year in 2000, and other designers – such as Jonathan Saunders and Anthony Vaccarello – have recently closed their own brands to focus on new roles.
HBA put on a pool party presentation in Miami last December – check it out below.
