If there were ever proof needed that music and fashion are intrinsic to one another, German designer Philipp Plein delivers it each season with high-profile guests that have recently included Tyga, Azealia Banks and, most recently, Courtney Love. This musical influence not only informs Plein’s design process, it also bleeds into the brand aesthetic; especially visible in the brand’s SS16 campaign released today.
Lensed by iconic photographer Steven Klein, the campaign is shot against an industrial metal backdrop which only serves to underscore the opulence of the clothing. Klein is renowned for his glamour-drenched editorials – a visual language that he applies to this shoot, which casts the models (including Lucky Blue and Pyper America Smith) as high-fashion robots on a conveyor belt. The styling is similarly futuristic; heavily-embellished jackets and metallic leather are interspersed with heavy-duty sunnies and extendable bionic arms, providing a photographic illustration of the high-octane glamour that has become a Plein signature.
The campaign seamlessly follows up on the mood of the SS16 show staged in Milan earlier this year; a cut above the average fashion show, the designer eschewed a small-scale runway and instead provided a visual spectacle. In the show, industry favourites Soo Joo and Bella Hadid were cast to walk a conveyor-belt runway alongside robots on set that handed accessories to models as they walked. This may seem a tad opulent for most designers, but Plein has built a strong reputation by crafting large-scale sets that, in the past, have included enormous branded swimming pools and even Lucky Blue Smith racing along the runway on the back of a dirtbike.
