Wolfgang Joop
Founder of JOOP! and co-founder of Wunderkind
Wolfgang Joop is a German designer who created JOOP!, one of the most recognisable German fashion and fragrance brands, and later co-founded the luxury label Wunderkind. He is one of the most prominent figures in post-war German fashion.
| Role | Founder of JOOP!, co-founder of Wunderkind |
|---|---|
| JOOP! brand | Mid 1980s (exclamation mark from 1987) |
| Sale of JOOP! | 95 percent to Wünsche in 1998, remaining shares 2001 |
| Wunderkind founded | 2003, Potsdam |
| Born | 1944, Potsdam |
| Nationality | German |
Who is Wolfgang Joop?
Wolfgang Joop is a German fashion designer, born in Potsdam in 1944. He founded JOOP!, a brand that became widely known for fragrance, clothing and accessories, and in 2003 co-founded the designer label Wunderkind. He is also active as an illustrator and artist.
Career
Joop grew up in Braunschweig, where he took his Abitur in 1964, and began studies in advertising psychology and art education without completing them. In 1970 he won a design competition run by the magazine Constanze and worked as a fashion editor before setting up as a freelance designer in 1971.
He gained international attention in 1978 with fur collections and presented his first women's ready-to-wear collection in 1982, followed by menswear. In the mid 1980s he built his name into a brand with a fragrance, written as JOOP! with an exclamation mark from 1987. The business was built largely on licensing, with partners producing different product categories under the name. The fragrance rights were sold in 1991, and in 1998 Joop sold 95 percent of the JOOP! company to Wünsche AG while remaining creative director for a time. He sold his remaining shares in 2001 and left the company.
In 2003 he co-founded Wunderkind with Edwin Lamberg, a luxury womenswear label based in Potsdam and made in small series, which showed in New York before moving to Paris. After a pause in 2011 he took full control of the label again in 2012 and relaunched it. He has also appeared on German television, including as a judge on Germany's Next Topmodel in 2014 and 2015.
Influence on the fashion business
JOOP! was an early example of a German designer brand built around licensing. The model allowed rapid growth across categories:
- Fragrance as the main driver of international recognition
- Licensed clothing, accessories and home products
- A designer name that functioned as a lifestyle brand
- Separation of the founder from the brand after its sale
The brand continued under other owners after his departure, while Joop focused on smaller, design-led projects such as Wunderkind.
Why it matters
Wolfgang Joop helped give German fashion an international designer face at a time when the country was better known for industrial apparel production. His career also illustrates a recurring theme in fashion: a founder selling a licensing-driven brand and then returning to more personal creative work.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Wolfgang Joop?
Wolfgang Joop is a German designer who built the JOOP! brand in the 1980s and co-founded the luxury label Wunderkind in 2003. He is one of Germany's best-known fashion designers.
Does Wolfgang Joop still own JOOP!?
No. He sold most of the company to Wünsche AG in 1998 and his remaining shares in 2001, after which he left the business. He later focused on Wunderkind and his artistic work.