Philipp Plein

Philipp Patrick Plein
Plein, New York 2012
Born	(1978-02-16) 16 February 1978[1] Munich, Germany
Nationality	German
Occupation	Fashion designer
Labels	PHILIPP PLEIN [2]

Philipp Patrick Plein (b. 1978 in Munich) is a German fashion designer whose designs have incorporated a laughing skull which has become his signature.^[3]

Career

Upon completion of the Gymnasium Schloss Salem boarding school on Lake Constance, he studied at the Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen law. Plein's strong interest in art, architecture and foreign cultures was shaped early in life through the extensive travels of his family, providing exposure as a child to the world's most important museums and cultural exhibits.

In 1998 he entered the world of design with exclusive furnishings initially created for family and friends. In the same year he also founded his own furniture company with 20.000 DM which he inherited from his grandfather. Primarily focusing on designs based on stainless steel and leather in crocodile look. From the leftovers of the furniture production the young designer started to create leather bags and accessories since he didn't want to waste any material and started to sell them along with his furniture collection at trade fairs. After two years of selling furniture he gave up is law studies to concentrate on his own company.

Philipp Plein had his final breakthrough in 2003 when he started to design a lounge at the German trade fair CPD Düsseldorf for Moët & Chandon in return for his work he was allowed to sell his fashion collection at the trade fair. According to the designer he "sold bags for over 100.000€ in one day“. In 2004 he launched his first fashion collection dedicated to men, women and children. The highlight of his first collections were vintage military jackets which he embroidered Swarovski skulls and sold them at the Maison et Objet in Paris which took place at the same time as the Prêt-à-Porter tradefair thus allowing him to promote his fashion collection since the city was full of fashion people.^[4]

The Brand

PHILIPP PLEIN International AG

Type	Aktiengesellschaft (AG)
Industry	Consumer goods
Founded	1998
Headquarters	Amriswil, Switzerland
Key people	Philipp Patrick Plein Founder, CEO [5]
Products	Clothing, Shoes, Accessories, Furniture [6]
Revenue	n.a.
Employees	100 (2011) [7]
Website	www.plein.com

With the launch of his first fashion collection in 2004 Philipp Plein also created the PHILIPP PLEIN brand which still presists as of today.^[8]

In 2006 the accessories line was introduced and in 2008 the "Couture" collection which is also was launched, supported by an ad campaign starring Naomi Campbell and Marcus Schenkenberg.^[9]

In 2008 Philipp Plein presented his "heavy metal" collection on the occasion of "Germany's Next Top Model" fashion show presented in Barcelona by Heidi Klum.^[10] In 2009 he collaborated with Mattel and presented the PHILIPP PLEIN Barbie doll during Barbie's 50th Birthday celebrations at the Nuremberg Toy Fair on 4 February 2009.^[11] In the same year, the first mono-brand store was opened in Monte Carlo, and the first commercial showroom in Milan.

In 2010 PHILIPP PLEIN boutiques opened in Vienna, Moscow, St. Tropez, Cannes, and Kitzbuhel in addition to the opening of a commercial showroom in Düsseldorf.^[12]

In June 2010 the fall/winter ad campaign was unveiled starring the American actress Mischa Barton.^[13]

In 2011 PHILIPP PLEIN boutiques opened in Forte dei Marmi and Düsseldorf, and the Hong Kong showroom was inaugurated. In September 2011 Lindsay Lohan was announced as the face of the new spring/summer 2012 ad campaign, which was shot several days later on the shores of Lake Como amongst crowds of fans and paparazzi.^[14]

In 2012, 10 PHILIPP PLEIN boutiques were opened, in Marbella, Moscow Crocus, Baku, Milan, Dubai, St. Petersburg, Seoul, Macau, Amsterdam and Berlin.^[15] The British actor and singer Ed Westwick was the next celebrity to lend his image to the brand. Westwick was photographed by the internationally acclaimed photographer Terry Richardson, who also made cameo appearances himself in the fall/winter 2012/2013 campaign.^[16] Westwick also walked the runway for the men's spring/summer 2013 fashion show.^[17]

In 2012 PHILIPP PLEIN signed an agreement with the soccer team AS Roma to dress the team players starting with the 2012/13 season for 4 consecutive seasons.^[18] For the spring/summer 2013 campaign, Terry Richardson returns as both photographer and protagonist of a provocative campaign featuring the international top models Lea T. and Poppy Delevingne.^[19]

For the fall/winter 2013/2014 women's show Philipp Plein chose Grace Jones, to introduce his fashion show with a live performance of her hit "I've Seen That Face Before"^[20]

Singer Iggy Azalea took over the stage to open Philipp Plein SS14 fashion show with a performance of "work", leading the way for a show of black-only models closed by Ethiopian supermodel Liya Kebede, a poignant move given the recently debated racism in the fashion industry. ^{[21] [22]}

Boutiques

The list of PHILIPP PLEIN stores can be found on the official homepage.^[23] The PHILIPP PLEIN boutqiues are characterized by the huge crystallized skull which is at least 1 meter high and the walls and furniture which are covered in ostrich leather.^[24]

The first PHILIPP PLEIN boutique was opened 2009 in Monte Carlo. In the following years particularly in 2012 many other boutiques were opened such as in Dubai,^[25] Moscow and Berlin locations ^[26]

Awards

• 2007 winner of the GQ Awards National Brand of the Year ^[27]
• 2008 winner of the New Faces Award in the category Fashion^[28]

References

External links

• Official website