Known for his maximalism and ‘more is more’ aesthetic, Philipp Plein is taking Plein to the sportswear market with innovative products, a new self-service retail concept and licensing details. There’s just one thing it shouldn’t be: an ordinary diffusion line.
In contrast to luxury houses, which are launching and phasing out diffusion lines and more affordable second lines, Plein pointed out at a press conference at its headquarters in Lugano, Switzerland. The Plein Sport offering will have its own DNA and will not cannibalize its main line. Instead, Plein Sport wants a piece of the pie alongside “some big players” in the sportswear market such as Nike, Adidas and Puma.
“For me, the most important thing is that we don’t create any competition within the group,” explains Plein. “Each brand in our portfolio has its own focus and strategy in terms of positioning, communication, development and sales. Our brands complement each other and do not compete with each other.”
Plein Sport focuses on premium experience
Instead, Plein Sport is touted as the “ultimate sportswear experience” that sits somewhere between fashion, lifestyle and sport, powered by cutting-edge “portable, non-divisive, functional products.” In addition, Plein relies on a starting price below 200 euros, omnichannel distribution and a technologically mobile retail experience with a mobile store concept in a newly designed McLaren Formula 1 truck.
“There is a huge opportunity in athletic apparel – it’s a multi-billion dollar market, bigger than the luxury market, and yet it’s grossly underdeveloped. We don’t aim to compete with the big players, we’re happy with 1 percent of Nike’s sales, even half a percent in the next two to three years would be great.”
“Plein Sport takes advantage of the Philipp Plein name, but is completely different. At Philipp Plein it is difficult to please everyone, but at Plein Sport it is. We don’t want it to be a fashion brand, we want it to be a sports brand.”
The brand is also about “breaking boundaries,” Plein told FashionUnited. It offers advanced technical solutions with cutting-edge design for both men and women. Sneakers are a core part of the brand, with all products being developed in the Plein Sports Lab to “increase endurance and improve execution” with technical materials and lightweight, ergonomic and shock-absorbing soles.
Plein wants his activewear brand to be a quality and innovative experience for his fans. He’s invested in everything from creating 3D tigers on the sneakers, which required eight molds and costing half a million dollars, to collector-style packaging. Each shoe model comes either in a sturdy, transparent plexiglass box for wearers to display their sneakers, or in black cardboard boxes with an integrated miniature screen showing the latest Plein Sport campaign.
“The product is the star,” emphasizes Plein. “I want to create something that stands out from the market – something that’s exciting and adds value at the premium price point.”
In addition to apparel and sneakers, Plein has also signed several licensing agreements with Timex, Laipe and De Rigo to offer watches, bags and eyewear. Licensing deals for perfume, nutritional supplements, children’s shoes and gym concepts are expected to be announced shortly to provide a “360-degree experience for Plein Sport”.
Plein Sport is targeting locations in shopping malls for promotions
Retail is at the heart of Plein Sport’s strategy. Plein plans to open a total of 295 monobrand stores by 2024, including 50 next year. The first is scheduled to open in January at Plaza Norte 2 in Madrid, as this is the city where Plein sponsors Athletico Madrid football club. Plein adds that for the first quarter of 2023 it has “more or less” contracts for nine locations.
The first stores will be located in Europe and Eastern Europe and will target the company’s “key markets”. There are also plans to open additional locations in the US, the Middle East, the UK and Asia. However, Plein also pointed out that the opening of the stores also depends on “if we achieve the goals that we have in mind” since everything is self-financed.
The physical locations are also set to showcase a new retail concept that is consumer-friendly and “hyper-futuristic,” with custom-built, self-service-style modular furniture. Each store will be smaller than Philipp Plein’s current retail offering, under 1,000 square meters, “no bigger than that,” Plein adds.
Of this, 50 percent of the area will be used for storage and 60 to 70 percent of the sales area will be dedicated to sneakers. The sneakers are presented in transparent stacking systems that customers can access themselves and return models they don’t want via a drop box on the wall.
“We want to develop a new kind of shopping experience that is a mixture of self-service and classic store,” he adds. “We want to invite customers to take their shoes with them – we want to involve them in the buying process.”
The approach is “experimental,” according to Plein. The brand aims for high footfall and high visibility, while using a smaller headcount to ensure “profitability.”
Philipp Plein with Formula 1 pop-up truck
Plein also introduced the first mobile store concept, a purpose-built Formula 1 truck offering sneakers on the ground floor and clothing on the upper deck. It will function as a mobile pop-up store across Europe, parking in front of “major malls” to test the popularity of future permanent stores while increasing brand awareness.
The truck is currently parked in front of Philipp Plein’s headquarters in Lugano, where it will remain until it moves in front of Atlético Madrid’s Metropolitano stadium at the end of December. Other locations have not yet been confirmed, but Plein added that he is expected to travel to Germany and France and be used as a marketing tool at trade shows.
This article was similarly published on FashionUnited.uk. Translation and editing: Barbara Russ