Philipp Plein

Philipp Patrick Hannes Plein (born 16 February 1978) is a German fashion designer, entrepreneur, and the founder of the Philipp Plein International Group, which includes the Philipp Plein, Plein Sport, and Billionaire brands.

He is the founder and CEO of the PLEIN GROUP and of PLEIN HOLDING headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland, which specializes in the creation, manufacturing and worldwide distribution of luxury goods. He is also the Head Designer of the brands: PHILIPP PLEIN, BILLIONAIRE, PLEIN SPORT and PLEIN GOLF.

Philipp Plein has an estimated net worth of 800 million Euro as of May 2023, according to Forbes magazine.

Philipp Plein has been consistently listed year after year, as one of the 300 richest individuals in Switzerland in the annual reports published by Bilanz.

In 1998 Philipp Plein registered the trademark PHILIPP PLEIN and officially founded his enterprise specializing in luxury goods.

Early life
Philipp Patrick Hannes Plein was born on 16 February 1978 in Munich, Bavaria Germany.

His mother Hanne Plein–Dieth is a housewife, and his father Gunter Plein was a doctor. Doctor Gunter Plein had an alcohol addiction and left the family. Hanne Plein-Dieth filed for divorce when Philipp was 3 years old. After his parents divorced, his mother married another doctor Klaus Michael-Dieth. His sister Gloria Epstein Plein was born 7 October 1987.

In 1998 Philipp Plein graduated from college at boarding school Schule Schloss Salem in Germany and started to study law the Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen Germany.

Career
Plein enrolled in law studies at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg before designing luxury dog beds, but did not complete his degree. He then shifted his career focus, eventually founding Philipp Plein International Group in Munich, Germany, in 1998.

Plein is listed as one of the richest individuals in Switzerland in 2022 by Bilanz in their annual "Die 300 Reichsten" (Top 300 Richest).

Brand
Plein's rapidly growing success has been at the hands of his clothes during Milan fashion week. His extravagant and elaborate shows with the help of Etienne Russo, including cage matches, Jet Ski jousting, and other big scale spectacles, have made him a fan favorite in the  fashion industry.

In 2003, he sold his accessories after designing a lounge for a German trade fair for Moet & Chandon. In just one day, Philip Plein has generated €100,000. A year later, his fashion brand was born.

Plein's first collections were vintage military jackets which he embroidered with Swarovski skulls and sold at the Maison et Objet in Paris.

Following every year after his brand had launched, Plein challenged the fashion world and had much success.

2006: an unnamed accessories line was introduced.

2008: the "Couture" collection was launched.

2009: the first store was opened in Monte Carlo, and the first commercial showroom was open in Milan.

2010: Plein boutiques opened in Vienna, Moscow, St. Tropez, Cannes, and Kitzbuhel in addition to the opening of a showroom in Düsseldorf.

2011: the Hong Kong showroom was inaugurated.

2012: ten boutiques were opened, in Marbella, Moscow Crocus, Baku, Milan, Dubai, St. Petersburg, Seoul, Macau, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Plein also signed an agreement with the soccer team AS Roma to dress the team players starting with the 2012/13 season and continued to do so 4 consecutive seasons.

2013: the grand opening of stores in Porto Cervo, Moscow, Paris, Miami, Casablanca, Courchevel, Kyiv, Hangzhou, Seoul, and New York.

2014: store openings include Hong Kong, Los Angeles, New York, Ibiza, Bodrum, Doha, London, and the first Plein duty free at the Vienna airport.

2019: the 20th anniversary of the Philipp Plein brand. The anniversary was celebrated with multiple special fashion shows.

Spring/Summer 2020: show was presented at Social Music City in Milan in June 2019. A post-modern fashion show inspired by Mad Max Fury Road.

The Plein Group
THE PLEIN GROUP is a Swiss-based multinational corporation specializing in luxury goods. It owns the brands PHILIPP PLEIN, PLEIN SPORT, BILLIONAIRE and PLEIN GOLF. The brand PHILIPP PLEIN was founded in 1998 in Germany, PLEINSPORT in 2016. BILLIONAIRE was acquired by the PLEIN GROUP in 2016. PLEIN GOLF was launched in 2021.

Celebrities and special collaborations
Notable celebrities that have worked with Plein include Mischa Barton, Lindsay Lohan, Snoop Dogg, Rita Ora, Naomi Campbell, Iggy Azalea, Grace Jones, Theophilus London, Fergie, Chris Brown, Jeremy Meeks, Paris Hilton, Mauro Icardi, Alec Monopoly, and Floyd Mayweather.

In 2022, he released a shoe collaboration with Snoop Dogg called Philipp Plein X Snoop Dogg.

Plein told Women's Wear Daily about the sneaker collaboration with Snoop Dogg: “There are a lot of brands who collaborate with people just for money. It's nice to have a relationship with people who really like what you’re doing. And the other way around.…That is what it’s all about."

Cryptocurrency
Philipp Plein became the first major fashion brand to accept cryptocurrency as payment in July 2021.

NFT collection and Metaverse
Plein made his entrance into the Web3 space in collaboration with Portion, a blockchain auction house, as well as 3D visual artist, Antoni Tudisco.

The Plein Group has purchased a plot of land in the Decentraland metaverse, a 3D virtual reality platform. The Group bought the virtual estate for a price of 1.4 million US dollars. Plein participated in Decentraland’s Metaverse Fashion Week in 2022, showcasing a collection of NFT wearables created in partnership with Antoni Tudisco.

CHÂTEAU FALCONVIEW
Philipp Plein is building a 200 million US dollars private home in Bel Air, Los Angeles. Plein is building Chateau Falcon View on the 3.6 acres of land he purchased in 2014. The land was originally owned by late American business magnate, Howard Hughes and is expected to be completed in 2025.

Awards

 * 2007 Winner of the GQ Awards National Brand of the Year
 * 2008 Winner of the New Faces Award in the category Fashion
 * 2014 Winner of the International Fashion Brand award at Esquire Middle East Man at his Best Fashion Awards
 * 2016 Winner of GQ Germany Man of the Year Award in Fashion
 * 2018 Winner of the GQ British Man of the Year - Brand of the year at the TATE modern museum in London