When it comes to shape and constructions, designer Lutz Huelle is a master manipulator. The graduate of London’s Central Saint Martins reinvents timeless silhouettes so effortlessly that wrap-over jean jackets and column dresses made with denim and lace begin to look like the new normal.

“I’d love if people looked at something we’ve done and feel like they’ve never seen something like it,” Huelle said about his denim designs. “At the same time, it should not lose its democratic, ‘everyday’ aspect.”

This year Denim Première Vision took note, showcasing the designer’s work at the April 2018 show in Paris. Huelle’s avant-garde designs were well-suited for the show’s aspirational trend themes like “Wild and Wooly” and “Extroverted Street.” The designs were a precursor to the deconstructed, hybrid styles filtering into retail stores this fall.

For Huelle, denim offers boundless creative opportunities. “I love how universal and iconic it is. And because it is so iconic it’s easy to push it in different directions, re-invent it, rework it in different ways,” he said. “There’s so much to do with denim, I think even now we’ve only just scratched the surface.”

However, Huelle’s eye for fashion doesn’t cloud his vision for a more sustainable future for denim. “What’s most important to me now is how denim — as a material and as denim garments — are produced, to be sure that the treatments are not toxic in any way and that people who work in denim are safe,” he said. “Above all, we need to be conscious about the environment.”