Philipp Plein Fall 2020 Ready-to-Wear - Milan Fashion Week.

There is a garish opulence to Philipp Plien's clothing empire, since his debut show at Milan Fashion Week in 2013, with his 2006 beginnings sewing Swarovski crystals onto vintage jackets with his trademarked Skull shaped motifs, to which he claims he made his first million from those early efforts.  For the most part since establishing his brand, Plein has delivered an over the top performance that is of the theatrical overkill.  Ensuring that the clothing is secondary to the experience, being no more than just an expectation of wearing the brand name, which is interesting, because it is a very American concept of marketing.  Ensuing that the ideals expressed are through exceptionalism, which revel over any actual product offered.  He has mastered this very well and he is not even an American, he's German.  Born in Munich in 1978 to a wealthy family, educated at the elite Schule Scholss Salem boarding school.  Plein later ended up studying law at University, to which he later switched to furniture design in early 2000, with his limited array of Crystal Skull jackets in tow.  It was only within 8 years of runway shows since his debut in 2013, Plein has expanded his elaborate show pieces every year, in lieu of outdoing the last one. 

The backdrop for Plein's Fall 2020 collection is astounding, jet planes, helicopters, racecars and a speed boat all coated in gold within a stadium that held over 3000 guests.  A beeline of A-listed celebrities were also in attendance, which is Plein's sell point of promoting his brand into the broader American market. 

This is excessiveness in fashion that knows no bounds, beyond any reactionary sentiment and ivory tower misfires.  Plein is feeding into the 'feed back' loops to the point of bursting. And there is fascination here, which is the smothering out of all aspects of sensibilities that tend to be, at times fueled by hypocrisy, while they chase other markets - such are the attendees that benefit from Plein's Potemkin machine.  Rather, it has been replaced with the desires of greed and its feverish ambition.  I prefer this version, at least it holds a clarity within its diversion.