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Designer Philipp Plein Defends Kobe Fashion Week Tribute Featuring Gold Helicopter

Philipp Plein paid tribute to Kobe Bryant at Milan Fashion Week with crystal-encrusted Lakers jerseys and a gold helicopter.

Designer Philipp Plein has defended his runway tribute to Kobe Bryant at Milan Fashion Week, which featured purple jerseys and hoodies with the late basketball player’s number “24” encrusted in crystal—against a backdrop of a gold helicopter. Many expressed outrage over pairing the relatively last-minute homage with helicopter decor, with one Twitter user calling it “disappointing, distasteful, and disrespectful.” Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna, 13, and seven others died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, less than a month before Plein’s autumn/winter 2020 collection debut.

“This tragedy affected myself and all the world deeply and I feel that my fashion show [has] been the best moment to express my respect and admiration for Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and his family,” Plein said of his tribute, which included clothing items emblazoned with “Plein” where the name “Bryant” would traditionally go. He added that the runway set—which, according to his website, was meant to evoke “a giant garage space filled with the ultimate big boy toys” like a fighter jet and a boat—had been finalized last November, making it impossible to remove the helicopters in time for the Milan premiere.