Unconventional designer and diamond skull enthusiast PHILIPP PLEIN catches up with MAXIM to talk about the launch of his first timepiece collection, the Megan Fox campaign and the world of luxury post-COVID…
Philipp Plein — the German-born, Swiss-based reigning rule breaker of fashion — continues to make serious business moves. Famed for his loud, unashamedly glamorous clothing, Plein has carved out a niche catering to cashed-up customers all around the world. His fashion shows, the ones before COVID anyway, resemble rock concerts and mostly serve as an excuse to stage an epic after party. Most impressively, PHILIPP PLEIN is one of the few luxury brands to have grown a significant international business without the backing of a major conglomerate. “We are one of the last remaining independent luxury groups because people like what we do and what we are,” he tells us.
The occasion is the imminent launch of a PHILIPP PLEIN watch line, the newest licence for his ever-growing lifestyle brand. “Why not?” Plein asks rhetorically when queried on the decision to add watches to his collection. “Our customers have very high expectations season after season. PHILIPP PLEIN is not a boring brand and surprising our customers is our main goal. I have a passion for wristwatches so I decided to launch my own collection.” Plein has partnered with watch behemoth Timex to create the range. “It has been very emotional and I can’t wait to see the reaction of our customers and of the market. We are very positive and we are sure they will love it,” he adds.
Whip smart (he once practiced law) and armed with an unmistakably maximalist aesthetic, Philipp launched his company in 1998 and drew early acclaim for his Swarovski-embellished designs and skull motifs, both of which are incorporated into his new watches. In addition to his eponymous main line, Plein also oversees the PLEIN Sport and Billionaire labels. “I love my job and my business. Work is part of my life and it is something that doesn’t make my battery low.”
Despite the phenomenal growth of PHILIPP PLEIN to household name status in recent times, COVID has had a far-reaching impact on the world economy, even the previously unassailable luxury sector. Where many saw doom, Philipp saw opportunity. “This is an historical period of metamorphosis,” he opines. “COVID has changed everything and the most important thing is how you react. If you are able to catch the opportunities, your business survives. Retail has suffered and it is still suffering, even if there are signals of growth.” Despite the pandemic, Plein is still a firm believer in that in person experience — feeling the fabrics, seeing the clothes displayed like art and sipping on complimentary sparkling water, and if you’re really lucky, attending the fashion show. “Nowadays customers want to live emotional experiences and they look for uniqueness,” he explains.
Celebrities are surely the most important endorsements for luxury brands today, a job previously reserved for supermodels and a few stuffy magazine editors. Thankfully, PHILIPP PLEIN has celebrity fans in spades. For Spring 2022 — presented through a fashion movie called Night Games — Plein tapped none other than actress and sex symbol Megan Fox, who’s had a pop culture renaissance lately thanks to her highly-publicised relationship with Machine Gun Kelly. The collab was a no-brainer says Philipp. “Megan is the perfect image of the ideal woman we design for. She has a strong character; she is elegant and sensual. All the values behind the brand and every women’s piece we create.”
Part of Plein’s appeal is that the motivations of his brand are upfront and honest. Where other designers rely on faux-intellectualism and esoteric historical references as justification for their $4,000 handbags, Philipp is refreshingly candid about his design ethos. At the core of his products: money, success, glamour, sexy people. Or in his own words: “Success is building a successful business doing what you like and following your ideas and your dream. And I can say I have big success!”
With a jet-set lifestyle, penchant for luxury cars and fondness for beautiful women and celebrities, Philipp personifies his own brand image. In short: Philipp Plein is PHILIPP PLEIN’s own best advertisement. He agrees. “PHILIPP PLEIN is my vision and the values of the brand belong to my being.”
In an ever-competitive luxury industry where the big names rely on many decades of heritage, Plein has not only established a new company but done so using his own name. Although Riccardo Tisci and Nicolas Ghesquière are undoubtedly two of the most influential designers of today, neither of them have an eponymous label. Instead, they have made their names working for established houses, bankrolled by conglomerates. Call it the Karl Lagerfeld method. Even Jeremy Scott has shuttered his own label to focus solely on his work at Moschino. While it’s become nearly impossible to launch a whole new luxury brand from scratch, the conglomerates are seemingly always looking to revive an old company.
Recent examples of once dormant brands coming back to life include Schiaparelli, Paco Rabanne and Jean Patou. It’s plain old business logic: why gamble on something new and unexplored when you can reliably extract a few more coins from an old name? What these conglomerates did not account for is that the new rich, particularly young people in emerging economies, are looking for new brands to flaunt instead of the ones their parents wore. Enter PHILIPP PLEIN. Not only has the label and brand consistently grown over the past decade, it’s loyal fans have grown with it.
“Our loyal customers didn’t change but they have evolved together with the brand and the new ones love our DNA,” he clarifies. “The company has grown across the world in terms of awareness and retail. PHILIPP PLEIN is becoming a more and more known international brand.” And as both the chief designer and owner of his company, you can query Philipp on his design choices one minute and then ask about expansion the next. Like would he ever open a PHILIPP PLEIN boutique in Sydney? “Let’s see. Because of COVID we slowed down our opening plan last year, but we didn’t stop it. The market is giving us important signals and we are monitoring the development of the market.”
Perhaps the ultimate testament to Philipp’s ascendency is the grand new design and showroom space he’s constructing in Milan — one of the ultimate fashion capitals. “The new PHILIPP PLEIN showroom will arise in a historical building — three floors! — in the beautiful Porta Romana area. We needed more space for the team working in Milan and also for the collection that, season after season, is getting richer.” Suffice to say, with a growing network of stores, loyal fans, real estate in one of Milan’s most venerable neighbourhoods and yes, a watch line, PHILIPP PLEIN has finally arrived. ■
By REILLY SULLIVAN
For the full article grab the February 2022 issue of MAXIM Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.
