Helmut Lang Incorporates Saint Laurent Pieces Into New Artwork

Saint Laurent Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello has announced plans for an upcoming collaboration with legendary designer-turned-artist Helmut Lang. The collaboration between the two was revealed in an interview with Business of Fashion and focuses on Lang’s artworks, bringing the world of Saint Laurent to his brutal aesthetic.

Named “Helmut Lang x Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent Rive Droite,” the collaborative artworks feature leftover and unwanted Saint Laurent items and accessories that have been shredded by Lang. These scraps were then mixed with resin and transformed into large sculptures using aluminium molds.

By using items of clothing and accessories, the collaborative sculptures recall Lang’s own archive. After walking away from his namesake label in 2005, Lang then destroyed his personal by making “fabric confetti” of the pieces that had survived a 2010 fire.

Launching the collaboration, Vaccarello explained his admiration for Lang, “I’ve been fascinated by Helmut for years. For my generation, he is the ultimate designer of the ’90s.” This led to Vaccarello visiting Lang on Long Island, where he creates art and breeds heritage fowl, to approach him about a denim collaboration. Lang rejected this idea, instead wanting the collaboration to focus on his artwork.

Speaking to Business of Fashion, Lang added, “Anthony was the first person in fashion to engage in a collaboration focusing on my artwork. As I collaborated with artists in different ways throughout my time in fashion, it was intriguing to be in the reversed position.”

Take a look at the resulting artwork in the gallery above. The “Helmut Lang x Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent Rive Droite” sculptures will be exhibited at the Rive Droite location in Paris before heading to Los Angeles. All items will be available for sale.

In other art news, Bruce Nauman’s London retrospective is due to open next week.

Saint Laurent Rive Droite
213 Rue Saint-Honoré
75001 Paris
France