From designing dog beds to leading ‘the Lamborghini of fashion’: The excessive world of Philipp Plein

They say a home is a representation of its owner, and the Los Angeles mansion of Philipp Plein (Munich, 46 years old) is an apt reflection of the personality and rise of the fashion designer. The house, which was christened with the name of Château Falconview and was previously owned by Howard Hughes, sits atop a hill in Bel Air, with sweeping views of the Californian metropolis on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. In its foyer stands an enormous marble statue of a tattooed angel. Entering further into the home, a visitor encounters another figure, that of UFO Robot Grendizer, one of the characters of the creator of the Mazinger Z anime. The complex is designed so as to avoid the slightest hint of restraint: gigantic chandeliers, gold-plated ceilings and 25 bedrooms. But Plein’s plans don’t stop there. “I [designed] this house as a rehearsal for the big house. When the other one is done, this one will be for guests,” says the designer in an interview. That which for any other mortal would be the height of excess, for him, is just the beginning.

The big question is how Plein, the son of a doctor who left his family and a housewife from Bavaria, came to direct a fashion empire that has diversified into jewelry, luxury watches and NFTs, generating a fortune that the German edition of Forbes estimates at $800 million. There’s no simple answer, but perhaps what gets closest to deciphering the enigma is that the German designer has unconditionally embraced the most excessive vision of our current moment, and has presented it to consumers who wish to show off their wealth to the world. Another possible explanation lies in Plein’s own public statements, which have included disavowals of the fashion world and claims that his own idol is none other than Elon Musk. A walking representative for his brand, Plein amounts to a cross between tech entrepreneur, rapper and professional athlete.

From law to canine designer

Fashion was never a part of Plein’s plans, which first hinged on his law studies at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. Looking for a source of income that would allow him to become independent from his mother and stepfather, he stumbled across an article on the booming canine accessories industry. Taking advantage of money he had inherited from his grandfather, Plein set out to design a dog bed inspired by a Corbusier sofa. The product’s success convinced Plein to abandon academia and devote himself first to designing furniture and later, clothing.

In a world as highly competitive as that of fashion, and with no previous experience in the field, Plein bet on taking the most bountiful route possible. Inspired by the maximalism of Versace and Dolce & Gabbana, the German’s designs were driven not by the reinterpretation of trends, but purely commercial parameters. “I understood that I had to have a product that was different, so, if I put on a cashmere sweater ‘Fuck you all’ in Swarovski crystals, I could sell it for $5,000,” he explained in an interview with The New Yorker. “The business model is really very simple.” Simple, but effective: in 2022, his company racked up $228 million in sales.

Plein’s path to success has also been blazed with the help of his public persona, always being photographed with celebrities from the worlds of music and sport, who are forever clad in his own garments. Among his loyal customers are Cristiano Ronaldo, Nicolas Cage and Floyd Mayweather, an exclusive list to whom the designer offers the luxury they require, and not only in the form of clothing and accessories. Through his business group’s various companies, Pleins makes jewelry, watches, perfumes and is working on the opening of his first hotel, in Milan. In 2016, he acquired the Italian brand Billionaire and, as any good devotee of the world’s leading tech entrepreneur, has made forays into NFTs and the metaverse.

The anti-fashion designer

Of course, his way of understanding fashion has led Plein to be regarded by many as an attention-seeking, tacky upstart. But that hasn’t stopped him from maintaining a constant presence at Milan Fashion Week, the stage upon which he cemented his image of excess and luxury. It was there that, in 2015, he organized what is still known one of the most expensive fashion shows of all time, for which he installed a roller coaster and featured a performance by rapper Azealia Banks. Plein never hides his cards. To Interview magazine, he made his intentions clear: “I’m a maximalist and I’m proud of that.”

This excessive, exhibitionist kind of opulence has won him fans like rapper and actor Ice-T, who once defined the brand as “the Lamborghini of clothing” and who has become a personal friend of the designer. One of the artist’s favorite garments is a T-shirt with a skull and bones made of diamonds. “If they try to stop me at the door, I’m like — this is an $800 T-shirt, fall back,” he joked in an interview.

But Plein has also aroused certain misgivings, especially among circles that view ostentation as a sign of bad taste. In 2017, Ferrari sued Plein for using some of its cars in a runway show. Two years later, the Italian company asked the designer to stop sharing images on Instagram in which its automobiles appeared alongside his sneakers.

The German has turned this kind of rejection into an insignia that he wears with pride, taking advantage of any occasion he can to show his disdain for the fashion industry. “The fashion world was against us from the start,” he told GQ. “I have experienced all of it before. When I got to boarding school as a teenager, I had long hair when all the guys had short hair and wore cargo pants and polo shirts. I tried to fit in, but after a few months I realized that wasn’t me and that I didn’t have to fit into a system I didn’t support. That’s how I handle my business now I’m in the fashion industry.”

Plein embraces his role as fashion outsider, from which he appears capable of selling any product imaginable through his strident personality and aura of excess. “I learned how hard it is sell a chair and how easy it is to sell a jacket,” he continued in the GQ interview. “I don’t have rich parents. I don’t have investors. I don’t have credit from a bank. This is what I’m really proud of. I have stayed independent and built all this with my own hands without the help of anybody.”

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