Sartorial utility—or sartility, as dubbed by the studio—is the idea Helmut Lang explored in its Fall/Winter 2022 collection. The concept began with clothing archetypes: Since the brand’s founding, wardrobe staples have provided the starting point for Helmut Lang’s collections. This season, suits, base layers, moto jackets, and leather pants are prominent.

This approach allows the studio to reflect upon the past and propose a future simultaneously. Many of the chosen clothing archetypes, such as classic suiting, possess connotations of maturity, formality, and rigidity. At the same time, they provide a blank canvas for deviation and experimentation. This season, Helmut Lang is making a statement against escapist takes that have largely dominated since the start of the pandemic. Instead of encouraging us to run from reality, Helmut Lang wants to present clothes that are as useful as they are beautiful.

The collection convinces us of utility and beauty’s closeness through the use of shearling, both as outerwear and accessory. While the cropped shearling jackets balance functionality with a sculptural quality, a shearling bag takes the idea of utility versus ornament to a playful extreme. The collection also includes dresses that incorporate translucent base layers with overlaying straps—a hallmark of the brand. The base layer provides the archetypical shape of a dress, while the strappy layers above push the silhouette into more experimental territory.

Altogether, Helmut Lang’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection is about dichotomies: tailoring and utility, beautiful and useful, past and future.