Having obscured his face with surgical masks since long before the pandemic, Peter Do seems to have a complicated relationship with fame, but the ascendant designer stepped further into the spotlight this afternoon when he announced he would be taking the reigns at Helmut Lang. “It is my deep honour to be entrusted with ushering in the next chapter of his legacy,” he said in an accompanying statement. “No one embodied radical thinking more definitely than Helmut Lang.” Though rumours of an appointment had been brewing for a while, Do will officially enter the atelier on Monday 15 and will oversee both men’s and women’s collections, alongside his own label. 

Since graduating from Phoebe Philo’s studio and starting his eponymous label in 2018, Peter Do has won critical acclaim (and an LVMH award) for his androgynous and deconstructed approach to clothing – all of which chimes with the more subversive sensibilities established by Helmut Lang. Minimalist and attention-seeking, Lang is often used as an example of the biting counter-cultural spirit that permeated the 90s. Alongside scooped-out vests and severe-cut tailoring (something Do also does well) Lang was beloved for his anti-fashion attitude: getting Jenny Holzer to pen monochromatic advertising slogans that were pasted guerilla-style across magazine spreads in a total rejection of the glossy standard of the day.  

Having been manned by an in-house studio team for the past few years, Do’s hiring marks Helmut Lang’s most esteemed appointment since Shayne Oliver’s one-season stint in 2017. And despite an enduring interest in Lang’s legendary archive – High Fashion Twitter can attest to that – the decision has no doubt been orchestrated to help pull the brand back into the fashion conversation. “We are thrilled to have Peter Do join Helmut Lang as Creative Director,” CEO Dinesh Tandon said. “His clear and innovative approach to design very much aligns with the brand’s ethos and heritage.” Do’s first collection for Helmut Lang will debut at the SS24 shows during New York Fashion Week in September.