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He was raised on his grandparents' farm near Sanssouci Park until his family relocated to Braunschweig in 1954, where his father served as editor-in-chief of the cultural magazine "Westermann's Monathefte." Joop completed high school there in 1964 and started studying advertising psychology at the Braunschweig University of Technology. However, he soon discontinued his studies to support himself through restoration work and other artistic pursuits. He also did not complete his art education studies, which he began in 1968. His first daughter, Jette, was born that same year. Winning a fashion competition organized by the women's magazine "Constanze," alongside his girlfriend Karin Benatzky, opened the door to the fashion industry. The awards he received also led to a position as a fashion editor at the women's magazine "Neue Mode" in Hamburg.
In 1970, he married Karin Benatzky, and their second daughter, Florentine, was born in 1972. In 1971, he left his journalistic role to concentrate more on fashion design. For a period, Joop worked anonymously as a designer for women's and men's fashion and briefly explored acting in films. His international breakthrough came in 1978 with a fur collection. From that point, he was recognized as the creator of a distinctly German, "Prussian" fashion style that gained worldwide acclaim. Under the brand name "JOOP!" he launched his first women's collection in 1982. Partnering with Artur E. Erlhoff, a women's fashion manufacturer in Ellerau, ensured the future production of his designs. In 1983, Joop received the "Fashion Oscar," the "Fil d'or."
In 1984, he was honored with the "Golden Spinning Wheel" by the European Silk Commission. After debuting his first men's collection in 1985, Joop’s men's line rapidly expanded to include a wide range of clothing and fashion items. That same year, he served as a guest lecturer in the design department at the Berlin University of the Arts. Two years later, he was appointed honorary professor and began teaching regularly. In 1987, Joop broadened his offerings by launching his own perfume collection, marketed by Lancaster. Following German reunification, he became the first Western designer to collaborate with the Meissner porcelain manufacturer.
In 1990, Joop became the subject of media scrutiny over drug allegations, which proved unfounded. The next year, claims that he had acted as a spy alongside former GDR foreign exchange official Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski were also disproven. In 1995, Joop received the Textile Industry Forum Prize. He is active in the "Dunkelziffer" association, supporting sexually abused children, and the "Hamburg Leuchtfeuer" initiative, which aids people living with AIDS. From 1997, products under his lifestyle brand were sold by "Joop GmbH." In 1998, Wunsch AG Hamburg acquired 95% of the shares in JOOP GmbH. In 2000, he organized the exhibition "Is Black Beautiful" and starred in the social satire "Suck My Dick," directed by Oskar Roehler.
In 2001, Joop sold his remaining shares to Wunsch AG and subsequently left the company as chief designer. In 2003, he founded the Potsdam-based fashion label "Wunderkind" with Edwin Lemberg. Joop presented the inaugural international Wunderkind fashion show in September 2004 at New York Fashion Week. In March 2005, he was awarded the BILD media prize. In 2013, he published his autobiography, "Undressed. From a life with me," co-written with journalist and writer Rebecca Casati. His other publications include the gift booklet "The Little Heart" (2001), the cookbook "Hectic Cuisine" (2002), the autobiography "Stillstand des Fliegens" (2002), and the novel "Im Wolfspelz" (2003). In 2012, he received the Design Prize of the Federal Republic of Germany for Lifetime Achievement. In 2014, he appeared alongside Heidi Klum as a judge on the ninth season of Germany's Next Top Model.
