Helmut Lang launched his eponymous label in 1986, and his once unconventional approach to both branding and design has been imitated on countless occasions but never replicated.  His original approach to design and textiles is often associated with his use of bondage and flight jackets that mixed cotton and synthetic fabrics. While it might appear exhausted as an ethos in 2018, Lang's postmodern deconstruction of traditional high fashion forever altered the scope of what was possible within the industry.  He changed the spirit, mood, and tone of fashion forever. Plus, take a stroll through any of today's "Instagram influencer" accounts, and you'll likely be confronted with imperfect, tired replications of some of Juergen Teller's legendary campaigns with Helmut Lang. Maybe this is conscious, maybe not; regardless, it illustrates the breadth of Lang's aesthetic footprint. 
 

If you look at the broad purview of fashion in 2018, it's difficult to pinpoint an aesthetic that has a more palpable and tangible influence than the one Helmut Lang pioneered. Today, Helmut Lang stands out not only for its uniquely inspired design but also its specially sourced fabric from some of the preeminent mills in both Japan and Italy.  Lang departed his namesake in 2005, but his legacy of innovation in both design and structure lives on; the label now styles itself as an interdisciplinary collective under the auspices of editor-in-residence Isabella Burley.