When all else fails, go for the archives. This seemed to be the strategy the new design duo behind the Helmut Lang brand—Mark Thomas and Thomas Cawson—went for. Having been newly appointed to head one of the most influential fashion brands in the history of the industry, the fashion crowd waited with bated breath on how this new pair will redefine the Helmut Lang aesthetic. The results, unfortunately, were severely underwhelming. Unlike what the eponymous designer trotted out during his heyday in the 1990s, their Fall 2019 collection was nowhere near original. In fact, it was a tad too archival for our tastes! Granted the archives of the brand are so strong that even most designers today are still influenced by them, we’re not sure if simply presenting rehashes of his signatures was a great idea for a debut collection. And to make matters worse, the quality on some of the looks were very poor. Above all else, Lang was known for his impeccable quality tailoring. These looks, however, were far from that kind of excellence! The fit on that second dress was just horrendous, the leather pieces needed some major ironing, and some of the proportions on the suits were unflattering. If not for the noteworthy outerwear and a few cool sportswear pieces, this would have been an absolutely mundane collection. At best, it’s a commendable effort, but to be able to survive, Thomas and Cawson will need to do a lot (a whole lot!) better than this!
Photo: Paolo Lanzi / Gorunway.com
