Hood by Air founder Shayne Oliver joins Helmut Lang design team

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Mar 13, 2017

Hood by Air founder Shayne Oliver has joined the Helmut Lang design team. The fashion label under Fast Retailing subsidiary Link Theory Holdings confirmed the appointment with Fashion Network Monday morning.

 
Isabella Burley, Helmut Lang editor-in-residence, recruited Oliver to create a special men’s and women’s collection for the label. The collection is slated to debut in September 2017.
 
Theory Chief Executive Andrew Rosen appointed Burley to her role. She recruited Oliver as the first of a series of designers to create a capsule collection for the brand. Helmut Lang will continue to work with designers on capsule collections in upcoming seasons.

Prior to the appointment, Hood by Air canceled its fashion show in Paris that was scheduled for March 5. The fashion label cited “unforeseen circumstances” for the cancellation. A representative for Hood by Air told the media on Monday, “Shayne is currently focusing his time on the special project with Helmut Lang. As a result, HBA will be continued but is transitioning to accommodate this. We will be releasing more information soon.”
 
Oliver founded Hood by Air in 2006, around the same time that Helmut Lang left his namesake label. He was a nominee for the CFDA’s Swarovski Award for Menswear and a runner-up for the LVMH Prize in 2014.
 
In addition to the new appointment, Helmut Lang announced the departure of Alexandre Plokhov who previously served as Creative Director of Menswear. Plokhov joined the brand in 2014 and shut down his eponymous label in 2015 after operating the line for four years.