Thursday, February 19, 2009

new york autumn/winter 2009 - helmut lang


when helmut lang left the company that bared his name in 2005, many wondered what would happen to the label that for over a decade dictated the direction of where fashion was to go. for over a year the house lay dormant until husband and wife design team michael and nicole colovos of the denim label habitual was given the daunting task to relaunch the brand. while many were expecting the design duo to continue the high end luxury tradition of the house, everyone was surprised when they decided to reinvent the label into a brand that had more of a street wear sensibility accompanied by a more approachable price point. while the weight of lang's extremely influential work could have easily overwhelmed the designers, the simple way that they have utilized lang's trademarks such as the utilitarian details, the layering, with something a little industrial and slightly futuristic, into clothes that are always contemporary with the ease and functionality of minimalism has made the label a coveted brand for a younger generation yet still can offer pieces that customers who were devout followers of lang's work can appreciate. while the colovos' work for the house does not have the seismic impact that helmut lang had, they deserve to be applauded for bringing a new point of view without disregarding the past on one of the most influential brand of the twentieth century.


photo: men.style.com

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