Coupled up in The Kooples!

Coupled up in The Kooples: His-and-hers hipster style rocks up in Britain, thanks to the French brand The Kooples. 

The Kooples is the hip Parisian his n’ her label currently making its mark on both sides of the channel. A French brand that has just opened its first three stand-alone stores in Britain (with more on the way), combining traditional tailoring with a modern, urban style. This Kooples mini explosion has much to do with the fact that the founders – three brothers called Alexander, Laurent and Raphael, are the sons of the people behind the Comptoir des Cotonniers which is a classic French womenswear label. It also owes a lot to a very clever advertising campaign, which you might have spotted on the sides of taxis and buses if you happen to live in London, featuring real-life couples looking drop-dead cool in their Kooples gear.

“The Kooples aesthetic is a very chic Parisian silhouette with a twist of British dandy, they couldn’t design clothes without the English preppy style”, said by Alexandre. Taking influence from both cities, the label has worked closely with London’s prestigious Savile Row tailors Norton & Sons – Their collection is defined by clean cut, slim fitting staples such as suits, jackets, coats and shirts, all carefully designed for men and women. Their light, colourful spring/summer 2011 collection carried a “rock n’ romantic” theme, made up of sharp beige suits and plenty of loose-fitting silk, lace and leather.

For autumn/winter 2011, the brothers have been inspired by “a military elegance”; from sharply cut three-piece suit for him to distinctly feminine lace dresses for her. The Kooples’ unisex appeal is most obvious in their advertising campaign s, where real-life boy/girl beaus do the modelling. The twosomes, plucked from around the world, are beautiful, stylish and achingly cool, complimenting the brand perfectly. 

Alexandre explains: “People can recognise and identify themselves with the couples. They deliver the message of our brand.” So a natural choice for the Kooples couple was Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. 

Reported & Written by Neha Kubavat