Creative Director Peter Do Is Stepping Down From Helmut Lang

WWD has learned that Peter Do is parting ways with Helmut Lang.

In a statement, the brand said, “Helmut Lang announces that Peter Do will be stepping down from his position as creative director at the end of this month.”

“I want to express my deepest gratitude to Peter for his exceptional creative leadership and vision and wish him continued success in his future endeavors,” Kazumi Yanai, chairman of Helmut Lang, said in the statement.

“Peter Do joined Helmut Lang in 2023, bringing a fresh perspective and revitalizing the brand for a new generation. He reinforced the brand’s reputation for pushing boundaries while honoring its minimalist roots,” the statement continued.

“I want to express my gratitude to my Helmut Lang team, who have been integral in supporting my vision. It’s been an incredible journey to be tasked to carry on the legacy of Helmut Lang. I would like to give special thanks to Kazumi for this opportunity of a lifetime and an experience that I will never forget,” Do said in the statement. The designer on Wednesday teased a picture of fittings from his spring 2025 collection for the house; pre-fall 2025 will be Do’s last collection with the brand.

Do joined Helmut Lang, the Fast Retailing-owned brand, as creative director in May 2023 to oversee all creative responsibilities for the women’s and men’s collections, while simultaneously working on his namesake luxury line, which he established in 2018 in New York.

At the time, Dinesh Tandon, global chief executive officer of Theory, commented on Do to WWD, “His clear and innovative approach to design very much aligns with the brand’s ethos and heritage. His experience with luxury fashion houses and his acclaimed eponymous label make him a natural choice for this role.”

Prior to Do’s appointment, Helmut Lang was designed by a studio team. Others who have held creative roles at the brand include Mark Howard Thomas (who has been creative director, menswear), Thomas Cawson (who has been design director and creative director, denim), and Shayne Oliver (who has been a designer in residence). Helmut Lang was established in 1986 by creative director and founder Helmut Lang, who became known for pioneering minimalism, his progressive approach, edgy and cool élan, and collaborative engagements with artists before leaving the industry in 2005.

During Do’s year-and-a-half-long tenure at the brand, he presented four collections that riffed on Helmut Lang’s rich heritage through a mix of modernized suiting, shirting, minimalist and utility looks. His debut Helmut Lang collection for spring 2024 was presented during New York Fashion Week and received mixed reviews from critics, which Do took in stride.

“I think that’s part of the job now. So whether I like it or not, I feel like it’s going to come . . . . At the end of the day, I care about the product and I care about the team and I care about the legacy. It’s going to take time for people to understand and to rebuild a brand from the ground up. Helmut is such an important brand for a lot of people, and I get that; I have brands for me that I’m like, ‘Don’t touch it.’ So I understand, but I’m trying to speak to a new generation of people who may not have heard of Helmut Lang before who are interested in the story I’m trying to tell now,” Do told WWD in December 2023 during a preview of his pre-fall 2024 collection.

Do’s second collection was a stronger, more focused effort, and by his fourth and most recent collection, resort 2025 — the brand skipped September’s New York Fashion Week, and spring 2025 season thus far — WWD’s Booth Moore wrote that Do’s vision was crystalizing. 

“This season he played up softer, more versatile casual wear, including layerable garment-dyed terry sweats, the signature Helmut Lang tank stretched into a column dress, and cloud jersey pieces with adjustable tabs to raise or lower lengths. It was a good move, one that made Helmut Lang less intimidating and runway-stiff,” Moore wrote. 

At the time, Do told WWD his next few seasons would be about honing Helmut Lang’s signatures and making sure they’re represented in every retail partner and door the brand has. “It’s going to take some time for people to understand this is Peter’s chapter. These are the codes that he made,” he said.