Helmut Lang debuted its Fall/Winter 2024 collection “Protection vs. Projections” in Brooklyn, New York. Peter Do, in his second runway collection with the fashion house, follows the brand’s ethos to “dress New York”, as the collection explores one of the city’s greatest experiences with his experimental spirit: Protection vs. projection. 

Presenting a collection of hyper-adaptable clothes, shoes, and bags aimed at protecting while still projecting personality to the world, this adaptable lineup of safety and self-expression is grounded in everyday functions on the street in endless combinations. New utilities in the hands of ambitious New Yorkers. Composed of 50 looks, the looks wove through the runway pathways, crossing and curving through the soft white drapery hanging from the high ceilings. Each design aimed for privacy, comfort, ease, and structure, a continuation of the protection and projection theme of the collection. Exaggerated collars and hoods, elongated sleeves, spacious layers, long hems and deep pockets maintain the brand’s minimalist and utilitarian DNA in the new lens of the “Protection vs. Projection” collection, creating a distinct system of dressing.

Versatility and variation also become key components of the show; A newly developed fabric of silk bubble wrap is used in bulletproof vests, bomber jackets, and pants, oversized double-face wool coats and padded puffers shield the face and protect the hair, fireman’s safety orange provide shelter and predict unpredictability and bags double as belts and neck pillows. The collection interrogates the assumptions surrounding modes of everyday dress, replacing it with a “system of dressing” that encourages a new way of thinking about making and wearing clothes.