G'Bye Hood By Air: The Streetwear Brand Will Go On Immediate Hiatus

After Helmut Lang announced mid-March that Hood by Air designer Shayne Oliver would be creating a one-off collection for the brand, rumors were circulating that his subversive streetwear brand would soon shutter. HBA had already cancelled its Paris Fashion Week runway show in March and insider gossip was swirling that employees were being encouraged to find new jobs.

Related | Hood By Air's Shayne Oliver to Create Special Helmut Lang Collection

Today, Oliver's New York-based brand officially announced it will go on an immediate hiatus for an undetermined amount of time. "Oliver will be devoting himself in the immediate future to his responsibilities at Helmut Lang," HBA's statement reads. "HBA will continue to fulfill its creative vision in the near future."

This isn't the first time HBA has temporarily shut down operations--in 2009, Oliver took a break from his brand after parting ways with co-founder Raul Lopez to focus on hosting GHE20G0TH1K parties with Venus X. HBA then relaunched in 2012 when chief executive Leilah Weinraub signed on, leading Oliver to become a 2014 finalist for the inaugural LVMH prize and a 2015 CFDA Awards winner for the Swarovski Award for Menswear.

Related | OUT100: Shayne Oliver

Oliver was recruited for Helmut Lang by Dazed editor-in-chief Isabella Burley, whom HL chief executive Andrew Rosen appointed as the brand's first "editor-in-residence." Together, they'll create an exclusive collection to be revealed in September 2017, including men's and women's clothing, as well as accessories. "Helmut Lang is a pioneering company and we are going back to its heritage of being bold," Rosen told BoF.