Dylan Mekhi Etienne Ramsay is the Associate Unisex Designer for Runway and Accessories at Helmut Lang. Beyond this title, he is a catalyst for the elevation of queer black culture within the high art and fashion worlds.
Mekhi has consistently focused on humanity throughout his work by creating clothing that demonstrates all aspects of life with the intention to dignify his community. He strategically constructs his designs with the ideology that the consumer brings his piece to its full potential when worn.
“By having something[clothing] that can grow and change with you has never been done before, in my opinion, and by doing that, if it is made with quality materials, with intent, it can become timeless,” Mekhi commented.
Mekhi is a graduate of Central Saint Martins in London, where he was given a year to intern at multiple fashion houses. During the start of Mekhi’s senior year, he interned at Telfar, and for the second half, he was designing at The Row. The COVID-19 pandemic cut his time with The Row short, pushing Mekhi to return to Miami with his family for 6 months.
“Although isolation was hard, it forced me to do the most honest work I have ever done at the time,” Mekhi said.
As Mekhi no longer had physical help or influence from his teachers and peers, he began to fully dive into his mind to create his graduation project. This line of work would win him a top award from his graduate fashion show. As one of only a handful of black students in his class, Mekhi’s creations were and continue to be an inspiration to his peers and other designers.
After finishing college, Mekhi began to work at Helmut Lang. Reporters interviewed him with questions, expecting news on the future of his brand. Mekhi didn’t want to rush his craft, finding value in learning from masters at a fashion house that shared his ethos.

Peter Do, former Creative Director of Helmut Lang, left the company on November 13th. Mekhi explained that Do has been an inspiration to him since High School. Mekhi felt respected by Do, as Do gave him the freedom to explore his design and cared for the opinions of his employees. Mekhi expressed that he will miss Do greatly and hopes they will collaborate in the future.
During Mekhi’s journey through the fashion world, he has stayed true to himself and, in doing so, created his own culture. A culture of creating art to uplift the queer black community, as well as the rest of the world. A large part of this mission is reflected in his commitment to his designs having gender neutral garments in order to dress everyone, not just a specific targeted customer.
“I want to be able to create work that anybody, from the smallest size to the biggest size, the most abled or non-abled person, can wear. The community has no limits, and most brands say they have an emphasis on community, but their work isn't represented in that way,” Mekhi said.
The foundation of Mekhi's work is inclusion—creating clothing for everyone designed to empower individuals and foster a better world.
Mekhi explains that elite art spaces don’t typically include many people who look the same as him, often leaving him feeling like the “other” in many rooms. Due to his supportive family, he has been a part of these spaces for most of his life. In return, he began to grow comfortable with being and feeling ostracized. Mekhi has turned this into something positive as he works to trailblaze and support his community. By making his vision prominent in society, it will allow queer black people to not only become a part of these high art communities, but it will also give them the opportunity to build a space for themselves within the art world where they can all feel comfortable expressing themselves. An opportunity they have never entirely been given before.
Currently, Mekhi is also designing for individual clients, enabling him to fully capture his artistic vision while pushing the boundaries of fashion. More recently, he made a custom gown that resembled an oil spill with its glossy reflective material. Mekhi also created a custom dress for Åsa Wikforss as she attended the Nobel Prize Gala & Banquet. He created this single dress with 19 variations, ultimately encapsulating his vision that the person brings the piece to life. With the interchangeable components to the gown, its timeless design emulates growth and evolution with the buyer and the world. His designs are so different, yet they all have an underlying character: emphasis on movement. Even as the piece stands still, one can picture how it would look with life added, elevating it greatly. He continues to reflect on the extravagance of life within his work while dissecting all parts of the queer black experience to highlight its beauty and strength.


Although Mekhi has mainly dove professionally into fashion design, he plans to bring his artistic vision to life for people to enjoy. He spoke about creating, but not limited to, furniture, glassware, scents, houseware, and even designing entire homes. Mekhi proceeded with this path as he collaborated with EMBLM Fine Jewelry to create a collection that reflected his overall ethos and his graduate project, “An Ode to Memory.” With each piece of jewelry sold, a portion of the profit will be donated to The Audre Lorde Project, a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans, and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color center for community organizing, focusing on the New York City area. Mekhi has continuously leveraged his work to support his community, and he is nowhere near stopping or limiting his ideas, no matter the barriers that may be in his way.
In Mekhi’s words, “What I am building is a universe; clothing is only a small part of it.”
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