Philipp Plein Plans Phipps Plaza Premiere

An example of a $603 shirt from Philipp Plein courtesy of its official website 

New to market retailer opening at Phipps Plaza

Philipp Plein, a 38 year old German fashion designer who admittedly I'd never heard of until this week, is opening a new boutique in Phipps Plaza.  Plein's first career was in furniture design but he eventually pivoted to clothing with the launch of his fashion brand in 2004.  

The new Philipp Plein  store, which will occupy the former Versace space in the Saks Fifth Avenue wing (Versace previously relocated to the old Juicy Couture in the Nordstrom wing), is expected to open in time for the holiday shopping season.

According to building permits on file with the City of Atlanta, $323,000 is being spent to "uplift" the store. By my brief calculations, that amount of money would buy a few dozen T-shirts at the store.  

Similar in style to brands like Von Dutch, Royal Underground and Ed Hardy, Philipp Plein's speciality appears to be graphic T-shirts.  Browsing the official Philipp Plein website reflects T-shirts that start at about $300 and go up to $600+.  

Philipp Plein also carries assorted button down shirts, jackets, shorts and other related apparel for men, women and kids.  

The offerings of the store seem to be a better fit for Lenox Square, perhaps in place of Pure Denim, on the second floor of the "Luxury Wing."  

Personally I don't see the appeal of the label and question whether it has enough brand awareness to be successful in the Atlanta market.  

Have you heard of Philipp Plein?  Would you spend over $500 on a T-shirt? Do you think Philipp Plein will be successful in Phipps Plaza?

Please share your thoughts below.