HELMUT LANG JEANS
SEEN BY CHLOE JONES
DASH IN THE YELLOW FLOWERS - LAMARR, OKLAHOMA, 2026
For Fall 2026, Helmut Lang worked with Arkansas-based photographer Chloe Jones, who photographed Helmut Lang Jeans on bronc rider Lamarr Hankins, twin bull riders Dayna and Maddy Eilert, Miss Rodeo Oklahoma 2027 Carlee Smith, and farmer Zack Hollowell across locations in Arkansas and Oklahoma. The photographs were made away from competition, in the hours around it.
CHLOE JONES: “My uncle made his living working with horses, and I grew up following him around. I was usually nearby, asking what something was called, watching which rope he reached for or how he saddled a horse. He still corrects me when I call a roan a gray. I was interested in his work before I ever had words for it.”
FENCE LINE - DAYNA AND MADDY, OKLAHOMA, 2026
“HORSEHAIR CAUGHT IN A BARBED-WIRE FENCE. LEATHER WORN SMOOTH WHERE THE HANDS GO. A PAIR OF JEANS WITH THE FAINT OUTLINE OF A SKOAL TIN WORN INTO THE BACK POCKET. THE THINGS PEOPLE USE EVERY DAY EVENTUALLY START TO TELL ON THEM.”
- CHLOE JONES
CHLOE JONES: “When someone my uncle knew was competing, we would go to the rodeo. He would put on his good jeans and a clean shirt. He didn't have to. Plenty of people didn't. I liked watching the same person I knew from the farm chores get dressed to go be seen.”
AT THE TRAILER - CARLEE, ARKANSAS, 2026
“HORSEHAIR CAUGHT IN A BARBED-WIRE FENCE. LEATHER WORN SMOOTH WHERE THE HANDS GO. A PAIR OF JEANS WITH THE FAINT OUTLINE OF A SKOAL TIN WORN INTO THE BACK POCKET. THE THINGS PEOPLE USE EVERY DAY EVENTUALLY START TO TELL ON THEM.”
- CHLOE JONES
STORM IN ADAIR COUNTY - MARE AND FOAL, OKLAHOMA, 2026
CHLOE JONES: “Rodeos can be loud and chaotic. But most of the time spent around horses is nothing like that. You drive somewhere. Horses stand in the shade. Sisters ride double. A cow comes over to see what’s in a bucket.”
HAY - ZACK, ARKANSAS, 2026
FERN - ZACK, ARKANSAS, 2026
CHLOE JONES: “When I asked the riders what size jeans they would need for the shoot, I got two or three measurements back instead of one.”
“EVERYONE KNEW EXACTLY HOW THEY WANTED THE DENIM TO FALL OVER THEIR BOOTS. JEANS SHIFT WHEN YOU GET ON A HORSE, SO THE LENGTH MATTERS. I LOVED THAT SPECIFICITY.”
- CHLOE JONES
Chloe Jones:
“YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR HORSE AND THEN YOU TAKE CARE OF ALL THE THINGS YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR HORSE. SADDLES, ROPES, BOOTS, TRAILERS, CLOTHES.”
DAYNA AND FANCY - Dayna, OKLAHOMA, 2026
“FOR BULL AND BRONC RIDERS, THE RIDE ITSELF CAN COME DOWN TO EIGHT SECONDS. MOST OF THE LIFE AROUND IT IS MUCH QUIETER. YOU CATCH A HORSE, HAUL HAY, DRIVE SOMEWHERE, WAIT FOR THE HEAT TO BREAK, TEND TO ANIMALS, SIT AROUND. THOSE WERE THE HOURS I KEPT COMING BACK TO.”
- CHLOE JONES
STIRRUP - CARLEE, ARKANSAS, 2026
Chloe Jones:
“DENIM FADES WHERE IT IS HANDLED, AND OVER TIME STARTS TO LOOK LIKE IT BELONGS TO ONE PARTICULAR PERSON.”
CHLOE JONES: “Everyone wore the denim like it was their own. By the end of the day, each pair already looked like theirs. I wanted to catch that shift, when new clothes start becoming somebody's clothes.”
UNCLE JIM’S HORSE GEMINI - ARKANSAS, 2026