Helmut Lang Brings Back Denim with Unisex Capsule Collection

Known for refreshing blue jeans and tees in the nineties, Helmut Lang is at it again: the brand is bringing back its beloved Helmut Lang Jeans, but this time without a gendered approach. “Under Construction,” the debut small-run capsule collection emphasizing American denim staples (the drainpipe, straight, and bootcut jeans; the trucker jacket), precedes the global launch of Helmut Lang Jeans later this Fall.

The brand’s reboot of their denim run couldn’t feel more current: not only is the collection cut for men and women (sizes for each are listed on each piece’s tags), but pieces come in vachetta tan leather, custom Japanese selvedge, or Italian denim. The brand also leaves the edges rough and the natural features of the materials untouched, giving a darker, undone feel to the Americana workwear classic.

Each piece takes body types associated with gender and proceeds to distort them: contrast stitching meets puddled hemlines, and high-cut waists emphasize the body’s natural curve. Meanwhile, the slightly-cropped trucker jacket tapers the torso into a masculine V-shape.

The brand is no stranger to reinventing the wheel, although lately, they’ve been more concerned with harkening back: this denim renaissance comes on the heels of their collaboration with vintage site Byronesque, which reissued nine of the Austrian designer’s bondage pieces. More of a remodeling than a reproduction, the new Helmut Lang Jeans is sure to be just as relevant and subversive as its legacy.