The Next Generation
Peter Do is a young fashion designer based out of New York who founded his eponymous label in 2018. He was born in Biên Hòa, Vietnam, before immigrating to Philadelphia at 14. Do went to fashion school and worked for multiple prominent ateliers, namely under Pheobe Philo at Cartier, and has won major awards such as LVMH’s esteemed graduate prize. Since founding his label, he has produced unique takes on classic cuts like suiting and formal wear, often with an androgynous twist.
Following its acquisition and the departure of Helmut Lang at his eponymous label in 2005, the brand was passed between multiple sets of hands, including the designer duo Michael and Nicole Colovos, Isabella Burley, and even a collection with artist Travis Scott. While the brand found some success, none of the designers embodied the ethos of Helmut Lang. The brand desperately needed a disruptive designer capable of realizing and emulating Lang’s core characteristics. Do, the passionate and dedicated young immigrant designer, would be the key to Helmut Lang's succession.
Being a disruptor and a leader in his own right, Do has been leading the charge of young, new designers of the next generation. Much like the integral innovation and revitalization of menswear pioneered by Lang in the 80s to early 2000s, Do’s work under his label has furthered the creative landscape in contemporary, minimal fashion. After the rise and somewhat stagnation of iconic New York designers such as Tom Ford, Vera Wang, and Michael Kors, few designers have been innovating quite like Do, who brings a fresh take to the New York fashion scape.
Lang often called upon poet Jennie Holzer to commission poetry to go along with his designs and collections with iconic lines such as “I bite your lip / I breathe your breath / I smell you on my skin.” Paying homage to his Vietnamese heritage and the influence of Lang and Holzer, Do called upon fellow Vietnamese American and poet Ocean Vuong to write for his first collection. His poem was plastered on the ground during his first show and on certain pieces of clothing within Do’s first collection at Helmut Lang. The poem reads: “Con nhớ mẹ nhiều lắm con xin lỗi con làm mẹ buồn (I miss you so much Mom I'm sorry I made you sad) / Your car was my first room / Our clothes on the floor like stepped-on flowers / They lied to you no one here was ever ugly / My life is a weapon.”
The rise of fast fashion and hyperconsumerism has made it easier than ever to disregard authentic creative design and follow the latest trend or save a buck. Creating only two collections a year and minimizing waste, Do challenges the notion of wasteful consumption, encouraging the continued usage of old clothing. In an interview with StyleZeitgeist Podcast, Do reminisces on his frugal childhood, where he made clothes out paper, cardboard, and the spare fabric he managed to find. While many may never be able to afford clothing by Peter Do or Helmut Lang, Do is striving to revitalize what it means to consume consciously. Do represents the young immigrants with a dream of their own, the environmentally aware, and the next generation of innovative designers.
Written by Drew Martin, Social Media: Eliana Ho