Philipp Plein makes gobs of money off of his clothing and furniture designs. In 2014, he told The Wall Street Journal that those gobs equaled more than €250 million. And while impressive numbers like that are hard to achieve in this business, they re not all that surprising. Plein s work appeals to rich people. The kind who want people to know that they re rich.
Yet while there is always a market for flaunt-worthy clothes, stealth wealth is trending upward. In response, Plein has said good-bye to some of the logos, opting to use his hexagon symbol in subtler ways, such as embroidered on the lace inset of a leather minidress. He s also embracing the humorous side of loud dressing. "Fun luxury," a rep called it.
This season s look was inspired by the way contemporary art appropriates popular culture. Specifically, emoji. Digitized heart and smiley faces were printed on ladylike, bon ton shapes: a collared shirtdress, a rounded sleeve coat. Plein emblazoned bomber jackets with everything from Swarovski thumbs-up signs to smiley faces, and even bedazzled a pair of pumps with a Pac-Man. (The shoes had a retro-feeling, almost squared-off heel—a departure from Plein s typically spikey stilettos.) Even the shawl collar of a leather blazer was covered in pixel-like studs. Nothing was too harsh or serious, which was the point. So for a good time, feel free to call Philipp Plein. And consider increasing your credit card limit, because these pieces can run well into the four figures.
