Worn by Zendaya, Beyoncé: how Peter Do created one of the most buzzing fashion brands, and how it will evolve now he’s at Helmut Lang
- Peter Do is a celeb favourite whose minimalist looks, sharp tailoring, clean lines and luxe fabrics are loved by the likes of Zendaya, Rihanna and Beyoncé
- The new creative director of Helmut Lang talks about how he started his own fashion label, and why having integrity and a point of view is key
Peter Do, who was recently appointed the creative director of minimalist brand Helmut Lang and who heads his own namesake label, is one of the most exciting names in fashion at the moment.
While there is no questioning his current star power, steering two brands has come with increased responsibility and an added layer of stress.
Asked how he manages his hectic schedule and how he unwinds, Do says lightheartedly: “I don’t know; I think it’s a work in progress.”
But the more the Vietnamese-American designer thinks about the question, the more he is able to point to certain things in his life. “My close friends, my family, my dog, my boyfriend – [they] all keep me grounded.”
Afterwards, Do began working at the Parisian fashion house Céline under the designer Phoebe Philo, and followed that with a stint at US label Derek Lam before he established his brand Peter Do – or PD, as the designer refers to it – in 2018.
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Transitioning from being a part of a design team at Céline to someone running his own business was not easy. “Going from a designer to a manager was one of the biggest lessons,” he says.
While there were challenges, the brand nevertheless found its footing – soon after he presented his spring/summer 2019 collection in the autumn of 2018, PD was lauded by the fashion press and fashion lovers alike.
“I don’t think that I anticipated that we would take off in such a big way,” Do says. “I always felt like what we were doing would take time and that it would be a slow, organic process.”
What makes Do’s meteoric rise remarkable is his unwavering commitment to doing things his own way: the label’s first collection was not presented in any traditional way for a runway show and, in the past five years, the designer has only done three such shows.
Some of that has to do with the reality of being a small, independently owned brand and the costs associated with that.
“It’s costly. As a small brand we’re just adapting to what’s thrown at us,” says Do, although he admits there is a benefit to sticking to his distinctive approach. “It’s nice to have that time to really edit [and] I feel it’s much more impactful to say with less.”
Being a small brand has not slowed the designer down, and his work has found a dedicated fan base both in the US and across the world.
For his autumn/winter 2023 collection, released in April, the designer and his team focused on 20 key pieces that can produce 351 looks. According to Do, there were two reasons behind designing such a tightly edited collection.
“One, we’re moving too quickly and developing a lot of things [for] a small brand, and I don’t think it’s a smart and sustainable way to move forward. Two, we have a lot of repeat [pieces] that we keep using and [there are] a lot of new stores that didn’t have access to those pieces; I want to gather all the icons that we’ve done in the past that felt like PD.”
“[My appointment] has been in the works for a very long time. So I knew that I also wanted PD to evolve into something else, something more elevated because I need to separate the two.”
However, the designer rejects the term and points out that his namesake brand is actually anything but quiet.
“[I]n terms of volumes, I don’t think it is. When you wear PD, people just know you wear PD; it has a very strong presence. It doesn’t feel like something that you wear to blend in, to be invisible.”
On top of the smart design elements and luxury fabrics, another aspect that has been key to the New York-based designer is the importance of community, which is also one of the founding principles of PD. “Communities and the people give the fabric meaning,” Do says.
A few years ago, the brand created the #PeterDoCommunity hashtag, which places minority communities at the heart of its initiatives and actions through donations and giveaways.
A lot of Do’s success may be attributed to the fact that he has a strong set of values, is supportive of and is conscious of wanting to give back – especially to the Asian community.
Using Humberto Leon and Carol Lim – co-creative directors at luxury brand Kenzo from 2011 to mid-2019 – as examples of designers who have inspired him as an Asian-American, Do says: “If me being here opens doors to people and kind of encourages [them], I think that’s great.”
Do is an anomaly in the world of fashion – while most designers have a robust social media presence, the Vietnamese-born designer prefers anonymity and rarely shows his face. He lets his work, not his persona, do the talking.
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When asked what advice he has for young designers and entrepreneurs entering the world of fashion, the designer answers without hesitation: “Do it at your own pace.”
“Whatever you do has to come from a genuine place. If it doesn’t come from a genuine place and a specific point of view and perspective, there are a lot of paths that you can be steered into.
“I feel like I care even less about what people think about me [now] and [I’m] more sure about my voice; there’s a lot of things that I feel strongly about now. And integrity has always been important,” Do says.
