Philipp Plein has quite the reputation for extravagant fashion shows. The designer hailing from Germany does not shy away from going all out in his presentations and inviting the biggest stars he could with little hesitation—Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Chris Brown, Fergie, Future, Azealia Banks and Lil Wayne—to best other designer shows. This year’s first for Philipp Plein and sister label Billionaire ought to be no different as a high-profile celebrity was attached to the event. But as it turns out, said performer had no clue that he was invited, and the brand already paid dearly way before they realized that they have been scammed.
Philipp Plein thought he booked Kanye West to perform at what we could only expect to be a show full of bling and skulls. It was said that a representative for Yeezy contacted the designer and oversaw the negotiations for the celebrity appearance. The said rep, who according to anonymous sources was formerly associated with G.O.O.D. Music, came up with a steep fee of $900,000 in exchange for West performing during Plein’s slot at the New York Fashion Week. A contract was signed, and soon enough the account was emptied; it was not until much later that people noticed that the signature on the document was very different from West’s publicly available autographs.
The deception was not immediately discovered until after the invitations were sent out a week ahead of the fashion show. On it, the rapper’s name is prominently displayed, making the star’s participation on the event more of a public knowledge. It was accepted as a great possibility until a fan tweeted to West’s wife Kim Kardashian regarding their guestings on The Tonight Show and NYFW. Kardashian then clarified things in a tweet which disclaimed Kanye’s performing at any fashion show and stating that an upcoming appearance was just a rumor.
He’s not performing at any fashion show this season. Just a rumor https://t.co/QcnO1ObEnC
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) 6 February 2019
This prompted Philipp Plein to inspect the signed contracts, and soon release a statement regarding the matter. According to the Switzerland-based company, a former friend of Yeezy’s reached out to them and convinced them that said individual was part of the rapper’s management team, but that there has been no misconduct on the part of Kanye’s camp and theirs. The statement concluded with the hope of collaborating with Yeezy in the future and anticipation for the brand’s NYFW runway show. As for the invites, subsequent ones sent out no longer had Kanye West billed as a performer.
The fashion show’s schedule remains unchanged as both Philipp Plein and Billionaire are still slated for February 11. The Monday presentation will mark the designer’s return to New York after holding previous runways in Milan. No legal solutions have started as of yet although Philipp Plein going that route still is a strong possibility. How much this affects the show remains to be seen, although it could still be as extra as it was in the past, just minus a million-dollar fund and a VIP performer.
Image credits: Philipp Plein, Luca Bruno/Associated Press, Getty Images, Andrea Ruggeri, Global Brands, Imaxtree
