Crass is king: How Philipp Plein is making big business out of bad taste

Plein is targeting rapid expansion as other independent luxury houses have found it harder to grow in the shadow of LVMH and Kering

On the terrace of Philipp Plein’s marble-clad aerie overlooking Cannes, a line of women snakes past the swimming pool showing off the German designer’s 2019 cruise collection of crystal-studded bikinis, thigh-high stilettos and leopard-print ballgowns. Next comes a parade of men in dollar-bill-printed button-ups and blue python jackets winding around a fountain filled with bottles of Plein-logo Champagne and a fire-engine-red statue of a gorilla. Mirrored lettering on the wall welcomes visitors to “the Jungle of the King.”
 
As master of a realm that’s a world apart from established fashion royalty, Plein leaves little doubt as to who he