Take an Exclusive Look at the Helmut Lang Archive That Was Almost Lost in a Fire

As Helmut Lang (the brand) is about to witness a U-turn under the Creative Direction of Peter Do, many fashionphiles are looking back at what made the brand such an iconic part of history — and that lies with the work directly designed by Mr. Helmut Lang himself.

Put by Peter Do, “No one embodied radical thinking more definitively than Helmut Lang.” Now, the designer’s game-changing attitude and legacy have been recorded in a new coffee table book for all fashion fans. Titled Helmut Lang Archive Dispersed by Joakim Andreasson, the Baron-published edition comprises an edit taken from 10,300 records of Pre-SS 2005, featuring photography by Joakim Andreasson, who worked with Lang from 2004 to 2021.

The book notably picks up on a tragedy, referencing and documenting a visual dialogue of apparel and accessories that were salvaged from the fire that ripped through Lang’s SoHo, New York archive in 2010. These pieces were later sold by Lang and Andreasson on eBay to fellow archivists and collectors, and today, the images used to complement the sale of each piece culminate in this book.

Speaking on the event, Andreasson said:

“The day after the fire, the building was completely blocked off. The space that housed the clothing archive had a big hole in the middle of the floor and clothing was spread all over the floor, had been engulfed by the fire, and even been thrown out the windows. There were fallen clothing racks all over, resembling a large-scale pick-a-stick game. Thousands of garments were soaked in water and covered in ashes. It was overwhelming to think about how to start the recovery process.”

While the contents of the book are incredibly special, the presentation and run of this publication is even more unique. Helmut Lang Archive Dispersed by Joakim Andreasson is limited to just 1,000 First Edition units, and each features a design inspired by clothing catalogs produced in the post-war period, sealed using fire tape. It is then presented in a skull archive box, which is usually used for housing human skulls and other artifacts.

Helmut Lang Archive Dispersed by Joakim Andreasson retails for £80 and is available to pre-order via Baron Books now, with delivery expected in November 2023.

In other news, Frank Ocean’s Homer x Prada anoraks have appeared on the secondary market for $7,000 USD apiece.