At the launch party for his sneaker collaboration with Snoop Dogg, who is performing at PMC's LA3C festival this weekend, German designer Philipp Plein repeatedly said, "We have here the best shoes in the game, the best shoes in the game." Plein captured a close-up of the glittering purple sneakers on camera using his iPhone before panning up to Snoop's grin. The rapper smiled bluntly while making the peace sign.
“But what is even better is the guy who’s wearing the shoes,” Plein continued. “Look at this. Who’s that, baby? Who’s that?”
“Hello,” purred Snoop, playing along.
“And look, look who’s standing in front of me,” Philipp Plein went on, revealing musician Tommy Lee — who performed at Plein’s last show in Milan.
“It’s the one and only Tommy Lee,” said Snoop. “It’s a legendary night, baby.”
The two are releasing a shoe in two versions, one in black and gold with a platform heel, patent black leather body, and a gold logo, and the other in purple, black, and yellow with crystals, combining Plein's gothic aesthetic and Snoop Dogg's heritage in the music industry.
“Me and Philipp have been friends for a few years,” said Snoop, who famously grew up in Long Beach, California. “We’ve done a few events together, some runway shows in different countries. We decided to come up with a collaboration, so I wanted to put my influence on a shoe, but I wanted him to perfect the show so I didn’t really have too much to do with creative as much as him and his team did, because I trust what they do. So, we collaborated on a shoe, representing my country, representing his country, representing my favourite colours, his favourite colours. And it’s the Snoop line, and it’s available in different styles, different flavours. You can walk to it, dance to it. You can work out to it. You can wear it with pants, shorts, sweats. You can wear it with anything. It’s made for everybody.”
“I was into fashion and going overseas buying his clothes,” Snoop said of his relationship with Plein. “He was a fan of mine, I was a fan of his. Naturally, we reached out to each other and just connected and built a brotherhood. One thing about me, if I like somebody, I like some particular brand, I want to reach out to the people doing it so they can get a relationship with me, personal.”
In addition to the Philipp Plein Dogg partnership, the rapper's Wednesday announcement also included a five-piece capsule collection with Stevenson Ranch for his Death Row Records label.
The most recent fashion endeavor for Snoop Dogg this year is his collaboration with Philipp Plein. The rapper last month introduced Snoop Doggie Doggs, a collection of pet apparel and accessories with designs for both dogs and cats.
Snoop Dogg joined the FaZe Clan board of directors in March and was given the responsibility of establishing a youth community outreach program and bringing experience from the entertainment industry to the platform. This month, Kim Kardashian also chose Snoop Dogg to appear in her Skims holiday advertisement alongside his wife, kids, and grandchildren, modeling the company's Cozy Collection.
The Plein Dogg line by Snoop Dogg is sold in Plein's retail locations and online.