
Helmut Lang Reissues Iconic Bondage Styles
By Shyam Patel
Aug 07, 2018Austrian artist and designer Helmut Lang's ready-to-wear collections often featured fetish themes and grappled with power dynamics. Although Lang is no longer involved with his namesake label, the brand's "Re-Edition" series is keeping these themes and the designer's most iconic pieces alive.
For capsule's third volume, the brand collaborated Justin Westover, creative director of Byronesque, the go-to shopping app for elusive vintage designer pieces from the late 1970s to the mid '90s. The reissued, bondage-themed styles include a pleated skirt with corset-like ties, a split-hem tank with the marbling of a static TV, a Velcro vest based on the silhouette of a bulletproof version, and an inverted, triangular top that ties around the waist.
Related | Helmut Lang Launches Pink-Themed Collab With Jeremy Deller
Upon leaving his brand in 2005, the former designer gave an interview in which he warned of the dangers of overexposure. Inspired by that notion, Westover selected a range of muted styles originally released between 1994 and 2004. While these garments seem quiet on a surface level, they convey a deeper, more discreet sense of sex appeal that counters the excessive exposure of our times.
Available on the brand's website today, see each piece in the Helmut Lang: Re-Editions series, below.
Images Courtesy of Helmut Lang
MORE ON PAPER
Music
Reneé Rapp Trusts Herself
Story by Erica Campbell / Photography by Yasmine Diba / Styling by Valeria Semushina / Makeup by Loren Canby / Hair by Marissa Marino / Nails by Anna Wesolowska / Set design by Kelly Infield
Story by Erica Campbell / Photography by Yasmine Diba / Styling by Valeria Semushina / Makeup by Loren Canby / Hair by Marissa Marino / Nails by Anna Wesolowska / Set design by Kelly Infield
26 June
Film/TV
'Overcompensating' Hits Where It Heals
Story by Joan Summers / Photography by Kenyon Anderson / Styling by Marissa Pelly / Set design by Liz Mydlowski / Makeup by Rommy Najor, Mollie Gloss / Hair by Akihisa Yamaguchi, Sergio Estrada / Grooming by Kennedy Trisler
Story by Joan Summers / Photography by Kenyon Anderson / Styling by Marissa Pelly / Set design by Liz Mydlowski / Makeup by Rommy Najor, Mollie Gloss / Hair by Akihisa Yamaguchi, Sergio Estrada / Grooming by Kennedy Trisler
05 June
Entertainment
The 2025 Tonys: 'Give It Everything Or Die Trying'
Story by Michael Musto / Photography by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders / Jewelry by Alexis Bittar
Story by Michael Musto / Photography by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders / Jewelry by Alexis Bittar
05 June
Film/TV
Coolest Person in the Room: Stephanie Suganami
Story by Andrew Nguyen / Photography by Diego Villagra Motta / Styling by Angelina Cantú / Hair by Stefano Greco / Makeup by STOJ
Story by Andrew Nguyen / Photography by Diego Villagra Motta / Styling by Angelina Cantú / Hair by Stefano Greco / Makeup by STOJ
30 May
Music
Tate McRae, Pop in Motion
Story by Ivan Guzman / Photography by Greg Swales / Styling by Chloe and Chanelle / Makeup by Lilly Keys / Hair by Chad Wood / Nails by Juan Alvear / Props by Lucy Holt / Extras: Faux Real
Story by Ivan Guzman / Photography by Greg Swales / Styling by Chloe and Chanelle / Makeup by Lilly Keys / Hair by Chad Wood / Nails by Juan Alvear / Props by Lucy Holt / Extras: Faux Real
14 May