Conscious Coupling

With a little help from the likes of Emily Ratajkowski, the Elicha brothers—fashion renegades who describe their own personal style as “punkHasidic”—aim to make the Kooples a household name.

- Rob Haskell

The rise of the Kooples, a clothing brand that is somehow both quintessentially Parisian and a sleek reflection of how young, sophisticated people dress in every global capital, has been quiet but steep. In the 10 years since brothers Alexandre, Laurent, and Raphaël Elicha founded the label, it has swelled to 400 freestanding stores, making its name with dark, stick-skinny, Modinflected basics. “The trouble with success is that you think you have to follow that same path every season,” says Alexandre, 42, who designs the men’s line. (Laurent, 41, presides over the women’s collection, and Raphaël, 31, handles the image of the brand.) “But the world changes, and you need to change with it.”