Philipp Plein says footwear has become his label's single biggest category, generating more than 100 million euros in annual revenue, as the founder-CEO restructures the independent Milan-based company and pushes deeper into the US wholesale and marketplace channel.

Speaking to WWD ahead of his spring 2027 show in Milan — staged with a monster truck spectacle running alongside the fashion presentation — Plein said the company is in strong financial health and that double-digit EBITDA growth is expected this year on the back of "stable" sales, following a recent restructuring and cost-cutting plan.

The category breakdown points to where the money is made. Footwear leads with over 100 million euros annually. Men's tailoring remains a big part of the business, while women's ready-to-wear has been catching up, growing 2 to 3 percent in the past year.

The US is now the company's largest market, generating around 25 percent of revenues — a pattern consistent with other European brands at the moment. Plein disclosed two concrete channel data points: the brand just joined Nordstrom's online marketplace and notched roughly $1 million in sales in its first month, despite a full assortment not yet being available. On Farfetch, the label turns over $25 million annually, with most of those sales coming from the US.

Retail footprint rebuild

Two store moves are on the timeline. The brand plans to enter Mexico with a store opening in the first quarter of 2027. It also intends to return to Rome, having exited the city after the lease on its Via del Babuino location expired. Plein gave no figures on projected store revenue, capex or lease terms for either project, so the retail expansion remains an announced intention rather than a confirmed financial commitment at this stage.

The cost base is the other half of the picture. Plein attributes the projected double-digit EBITDA growth to the restructuring and cost-cutting program rather than to top-line expansion, since he describes sales as stable. That distinction matters for anyone assessing the durability of the margin gain: efficiency-driven EBITDA growth holds only as long as the cuts do, and the company did not disclose absolute EBITDA or revenue figures to substantiate the claims.

Staying independent

Plein, who holds the titles of founder, creative director and chief executive officer simultaneously, framed the company's independence as a strategic asset and called himself a "dinosaur" in the fashion business world.

"Almost everybody in the fashion has sold their company — or at least most of the Italians have. Or they become very old, like Mr. Armani, the number-one legend, and unfortunately pass away. And when the captain leaves the boat, the boat often goes in other directions," he said.

He added: "I am one of the last designers here, who still has control of my company, and that's why I'm a dinosaur. I'm not the future, I'm the past."

For sourcing and wholesale partners, the takeaway is a privately held, single-owner company — no external shareholders to answer to, but also no published accounts to verify the revenue and EBITDA figures. The €100 million footwear figure, the 25 percent US revenue share and the $25 million Farfetch turnover are all management statements, not audited disclosures.

What is verifiable on the commercial side is the channel momentum: a live Nordstrom marketplace listing already converting at roughly $1 million a month with a partial assortment, an established Farfetch business, and a Q1 2027 store opening in Mexico plus a Rome return to execute. Whether the double-digit EBITDA growth materializes will become clearer as the restructuring program runs through the year.