Designer Lang leaving Prada

Helmut Lang, the Austrian-born fashion designer of urban cool, is leaving his namesake label.

It’s the second major shakeup in the last few months for Prada Holding NV, the privately held fashion company that acquired Lang’s business in 1999 and is run by Miuccia Prada’s husband Patrizio Bertelli. In November, German designer Jil Sander announced she would leave the label that bears her name because of disputes with Prada management over financial planning.

Lang was critically acclaimed by the media but his label, which will now be designed by a team, was not profitable.

Lang and Sander were star designers on track to lead the charge in fashion away from the embellished excess of past seasons, toward a more thoughtful minimalism. But their exits, along with Tom Ford’s from Gucci Group last year, reflect a new reality in the luxury industry, one that places a premium on profits over personalities.