Mr Mark Howard Thomas leads the cult 1990s brand’s resurgence.

The cult of Helmut Lang is an enduring one, and few designers – especially those who are still alive – have garnered such reverence. Mr Lang articulated the underground sensibility of what people wanted to wear in the 1990s and brought it into the mainstream with austere, utilitarian clothes that people went mad for. Still, moments like that don’t last forever in fashion, and after the eponymous designer left the brand in 2004, things have been relatively quiet.

Recently though, the brand has turned a corner. While the womenswear arm of Helmut Lang is now run by a revolving cohort of “in-residence” designers who each bring their own expertise to the brand, the menswear side is a little more consistent. Mr Mark Howard Thomas is a permanent addition as creative director of menswear, and started at the brand last October. Mr Thomas studied at Central Saint Martins in London and has previously worked as a designer for Neil Barrett and Givenchy, and joined Helmut Lang after a stint at Joseph. He is still relatively new to the brand, but has already demonstrated a strong intuition for what Helmut Lang is about – designs that are minimal yet gritty, with a relaxed fit that’s easy to wear. Mr Thomas also (wisely) draws on Helmut Lang’s rich legacy, bringing a self-referential element to the brand – the hoodies and “Helmut”-emblazoned T-shirts, for instance – and has collaborated with the graphic artist Mr Brian Roettinger (who counts album artwork for Jay-Z in his portfolio) on a new slogan: “In Lang We Trust”. For the legions of fans who pray at the altar of all things Lang, it’s an appropriate motto.