Helmut Lang is an Austrian fashion designer

Helmut Lang is an Austrian fashion designer (born in March 10, 1956 in Vienna, Austria) known for his minimalist, deconstructivist, and often severe designs.

Originally, Lang studied business, but switched over to fashion and opened his first studio in 1977. His clothes were fairly successful in his native Austria, and he branched out to Paris in 1986.

At this time in the late 1980's and early 1990's, minimalist fashion was at its height, with Jil Sander, Giorgio Armani, and Helmut Lang himself being very popular and successful. Clothes are made with very sharp lines and careful cuts, creating basic but extremely elegant silhouettes in high quality and often high-tech fabrics. Minimalism has lost some of its popularity, partially due to the recent prominence of designers such as John Galliano for Christian Dior or Dolce and Gabbana, but the movement seems to be returning, albeit in a different form, for the 2005-2006 winter season.

Currently, he makes both a women's and men's lines, but he keeps his collection under a single name. Helmut Lang does have an underwear and jeans lines, but he otherwise prefers to keep the brand unified to solidify the its identity and strength.

Despite the quality of the clothes and the slight revival of minimalist fashion this year, the brand has not been faring well. After disputes with the Prada Group, Lang left his own brand in February 2005. Lang now joins the growing group of designer departures, including Jil Sander and Tom Ford.