NY Times: Philadelphia Fashion Prodigy Aims to Resurrect Helmut Lang’s Cool Minimalism

Peter Do, a Vietnam native who moved to Philadelphia at 14, is hoping to bring back the cool minimalism of the 1990s to American fashion with his highly anticipated Helmut Lang debut, writes Jessica Testa for The New York Times.

The thirty-two-year-old Do is a fashion prodigy who joined Helmut Lang as creative director in May. He aims to reintroduce the label that was once one of the coolest, cleverest, and most modern labels in fashion, and not just “for the sake of doing it,” he said.

“Even when I’m not at the brand anymore, I hope I built a strong enough foundation that it goes on.”

Do’s first Helmut Lang collection will be unveiled on Friday and it will be one of New York Fashion Week’s most anticipated shows. And while Do is excited about it, his sight is set on something more important.

“Beyond the show, beyond the fantasy that you’re going to sell, at the end of the day, these are beautiful functional products that people even outside of fashion, like my mom, can enjoy,” he said.

Read more about Peter Do’s efforts to bring back the cool minimalism of the 1990s to American fashion with his debut in The New York Times.