Our Love Of Flashing The Plastic

Agnes Dean

Black plastic watch Marc Jacobs

Grey plastic stud boots asos

One word plastic, what does it make you think of ? Cheap and nasty or seductive and playful? A grotty loo brush or a state of the art chair you would love to design? I find it fascinating that at a time when bespoke, organic materials and quality are the new buzz words, the luxury world is increasingly turning to plastic rather than leather or silk or cashmere as a material to design from and charging designer prices I might add. So what might the reason be?

 Well here's my theory, it's all essentially about what plastic as a material conveys now, think about the barbie doll you owned and her teeny tiny shoes or let's be non sexist here, it could have been your red dumper truck. As a teenager because plastic was so cheap you may have been tempted to buy the latest teen accesories fashioned from brightly coloured plastic. The finale phase of this style evoloution has been the utilising of what has typically been viewed in society as a cheap material crafted in the same way a luxury piece would be, couple this new approach to the use of plastic and the price of  this new breed of plastic with the association of youth and it becomes a irreverant fashion statement and therefor you guessed it! Cool. Which is why the Marc Jacobs and Vivienne Westwoods of this world want to play with it and share it with us.Well that's my very simple theory anyway. What do you think of the stuff? Would you resent spending half your pay cheque on a designer piece made from melted rubik's cube? 

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Blue almond toe short wellingtons - Vivienne Westwood