'Helmut Language' by Willie Norris Gets the Quarantine Treatment

Mario Abad
Fri, 10 Jul 2020 21:48:17 +0000
Fashion, Helmut lang, Katie burnett, Quarantine, Williw norris

Helmut Lang's ongoing "Helmut At Home" series, which started as a quarantine activity as a result of the lockdown, has seen creatives from Berlin to LA reinterpret the brand's codes through DIY photoshoots and at-home selfies.

This week, the brand released the latest visuals from the series starring New York-based stylist Katie Burnett, who took a variety of quarantine self-portraits with her iPhone in her signature unconventional style while wearing pieces from Helmut Lang's collaboration with rising American designer Willie Norris.

The collection, called "Helmut Language," was released last month and consists of core items like trucker jackets and hoodies made from deadstock materials with large, bold graphics and phrases. Burnett's images highlight some of the key phrases, such as "CONFESS CONCEAL" and "THE WORDS ARE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU" (all part of Norris' text-based design aesthetic).

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"Words are powerful, but only if you let them be," Norris said. "Only if you let them guide your action and use them to inspire those around you."

For this project, Norris donated his entire design fee to a number of Brooklyn grassroots organizations that support Black trans women, as well as queer families in financial need he's met socially.

Helmut Language is available now online.

Photography: Katie Burnett