How Philipp Plein Made Bad Taste Big Business

As master of a realm that’s a world apart from established fashion royalty, Plein leaves little doubt as to who he thinks is king. While luxury brands such as Hermes or Louis Vuitton have spent more than a century honing their soft-leather-lined reputations, in the nine years since Plein opened his first boutique he has attracted a devoted following for his $600 sneakers and $1,000 hoodies—and even a $100,000 crocodile trenchcoat—a price that would make even devotees of Balenciaga or Louis Vuitton blanch. “Philipp Plein is a brand that’s very polarizing—you either hate it or you love it,” the Munich-born designer says at a long marble table on his terrace, where his handlers sip Coke Zero and the rapper Tyga has been summoned for a lunch of grilled chicken and cherry tomatoes.