New York Fashion Week: Philipp Plein Fall 2017

Last night Monday (Feb. 13), German fashion designer Philipp Plein presented his Fall 2017 runway show during New York Fashion Week.

The presentation took place in the lobby of the New York Public Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. This was Plein’s first showing Stateside, and he brought out a lot of Hip-Hop and R&B stars — Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Nas, Slick Rick, Tyga and Keyshia Cole. Kylie Jenner, Victor Cruz, Madonna, Shay Mitchell and Carine Roitfeld were also in attendance. Rappers Young Thug, Fetty Wap and Desiigner walked the runway during the show.

Nas opened the show by performing his 90s chart topping hit, “If I Ruled the World” (without Lauryn Hill) while showing love to Fat Joe and Slick Rick. Afterwards, Philipp grabbed the mic and took center stage to introduce himself. He said, “People always ask, ‘Who the F**k is Philipp Plein?’ Well, here I am.” He then told the audience: “I’m just a dream chaser. I believe in my dreams until they come true.”

The show itself gave nods to New York style and Hip Hop culture in particular.

“I did the biggest production ever, the biggest production you can even imagine, in Milan. I did it all,” he said backstage before the show. “At the end of the day, this is a new challenge. I needed a new challenge. This is the right time. America is a very spoiled market, a very difficult market. It’s still one of the biggest economies in the world and we can’t ignore it.”

“We are a $300 million company and we, at this point, have to build our brand in the U.S.,” Plein continued. “We have stores in Philadelphia, Miami, L.A., and New York, and we’re opening Vegas and Hawaii in two months. So the retail expansion is underway.”

The collection features bombers and motorcycle jackets, furs, denim, booty shorts, thigh-high boots, logo sneakers, velvet onesies, bedazzled leggings, puffer jackets, joggers, tees, sweats, hoodies, sweatshirts, turtlenecks, and more.