Cannes 24 May 2017 - On a warm May evening, in the hills above the bustling bay of Cannes, Philipp Plein unveils his first Resort show. As 250 personally-selected guests take their seats among the palm and banana trees in the garden at La Jungle Du Roi – Plein’s palatial Côte d’Azur home – the stage is set for a night to remember.

             Inspired by the nature and light of these spectacular surroundings, the collection is full of floral patterns and sparkling embellishment. A romantic and fresh spirit breezes through the women’s offering with flower patterned 50s style gowns and honeycombed netball skirts; elsewhere, a black floor-length lace dress with appliqued red roses injects a moment of Flamenco-like passion.

             But street couture and attitude is always at the pounding heart of the Plein woman. So, she wears these glamorous pieces with sweatshirts, fur-trimmed hoodie bombers and studded leather biker jackets – a combination merging fierceness and femininity. She stomps by in vixen thigh-high snakeskin boots, with slogans like “He offered her the world… She said she had her own!” emblazoned across heavily decorated vintage military jackets. Richly adorned jean flares, jackets and matching handbag with snakeskin detailing elevates everyday realness to a new ultra-luxe level.

             Denim also dominates the men’s section. Frayed, ripped, studded, patchworked, painted and embroidered, skinny jeans and jackets are their 24-hour uniform – always cool, always easy and always worn with white high-top sneakers. This effortless, relaxed feel is there too in wool sweaters and jersey tracksuit pants, all decorated with snakeskin details, skull prints and ‘PP’ insignia. But don’t be fooled: there is a serious punk attitude coursing through their veins as they swagger by in black and red bombers and white croc biker jackets. Tough and determined: this is the DNA of the Plein man.

             The Resort 2018 show also introduces elements from a new capsule collection produced in collaboration with famed graffiti artist Alec Monopoly.

Featuring sweatshirts, jackets and tracksuits covered in his trademark top-hatted character and dollar bill signs, alongside personalized one-of-a-kind pieces handpainted specially for this Cannes moment, the Alec X Plein collection showcases artwork you can wear.

             Among the cast of new models, some famous faces and personal friends of Plein return to the runway for this special Cannes celebration, including Paris Hilton, Sofia Richie and Jeremy Meeks. Plus: there is a star turn by the iconic boxing champion Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather.

             Opening up his private home for this unique occasion, the Resort 2018 is not only Philipp Plein’s most personal and intimate collection to date, it also marks a new milestone in the evolution of his global brand.

“Opening up my home to people is a new experience. It’s very personal because when you meet someone for the first time, you don’t really get to know much about them but when you go to someone’s home… that’s when you find out everything.

             La Jungle Du Roi is where I come to escape. It’s where I come when I need to breath and I’m trying to relax. It has a very positive atmosphere here and it gives me lots of energy. It’s my happy place.

             My design team and I all worked and slept at the house for over a month while we put together this collection. So it is very influenced by the garden, the flowers, the colors and the light. When I bought the place in 2012, the garden was completely overgrown, just like a jungle – hence it’s name. And a jungle has many sides: it can be romantic, it can be mysterious and, sometimes, even dangerous. I like all those contrasts.

             This is my first Resort collection  show and what I like most is that it’s outside of the fashion calendar. It’s away from all the stress and business of the fashion schedule. My home is an oasis of calm and I didn’t feel any pressure creating this collection. I only felt joy.

             The show is early evening so we’re just using natural daylight, no artificial light. And we’re not building a set; all we’re doing is adding chairs and a runway carpet – that’s it. It’s very authentic, like a summer garden party.

             So, what guests are experiencing here is the real world of Philipp Plein. It’s pure Pleinland.”