Helmut Lang Seen By seriesPhotography Ethan James Green, editor-in-residence Isabella Burley, styling Robbie SpencerBack in March, we reported that a new era of Helmut Lang was coming – Hood By Air’s Shayne Oliver would be designing a collection, with Dazed’s Editor-in-Chief, Isabella Burley, acting as the brand’s Editor-in-Residence. Now, the label has shared more of what’s to come – dropping part of a campaign by Ethan James Green, launching a new website and social media account, and announcing a series of forthcoming projects.
First up – the images. Starring adult film star turned cult Cry Baby actress Traci Lords, model Alek Wek, street cast muses Dara, Yoshi and Nicky Rat and finally Oliver himself, the series exhibits a preview of what we can expect from the designer. There are references to the archive – like the nipple-bearing tank top, and the return to the brand’s original logo.
That’s not it. More pictures slated to drop in the coming days will star I Love Dick author Chris Kraus, legendary director Larry Clark, performance artist Kembra Pfahler, designer Gogo Graham, musician Ian Isiah, eight-year-old activist Mari Copeny Aka “Little Miss Flint”, model Sohyun Jung, and metal band Unlocking The Truth, alongside street cast characters Alanie Quinones, Grace Gee and Aurel Haize. They are all styled by Dazed’s Creative Director Robbie Spencer.
Alongside the campaign, Helmut Lang has announced two new projects: Helmut Lang Re-Edition will centre around the reissue of important heritage pieces – Volume 1 will be available in September 2017, and will feature fifteen items. Future Volumes will be released every four months.
Secondly, the brand’s ties to the world of art (famous past campaigns including the work of esteemed figures such as Robert Mapplethorpe and Louise Bourgeois) will be revived. Once a month, a new artist will release a set of imagery for a series called Seen By. These promise to uncover and re-contextualise cult artworks as limited-edition posters, t-shirts and special products. The list of names of those confirmed reads like a who’s who of contemporary art and photography: Leigh Ledare, Carolee Schneemann, Boris Mikhailov, Peter Hujar, Walter Pfeiffer, Keizo Kitajima, Adrienne Salinger, Martine Syms, Mark Morrisroe, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Andrew Miksys and Carrie Mae Weems.
A percentage of the sale of their limited edition merch will be donated to a charity of the artist’s choice.
The final piece of news is that Shayne Oliver’s collection, entitled HELMUT LANG SEEN BY SHAYNE OLIVER, will debut on Monday September 11 during New York Fashion Week.
Check out the images in the gallery above, and keep an eye out for more from Helmut Lang.
Helmut Lang Seen By series Photography Ethan James Green, editor-in-residence Isabella Burley, styling Robbie Spencer