The Kooples: MD Marie Schott leaves, Anne-Laure Couplet takes over

By

Emma RUFFENACH

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Jun 21, 2023

Earlier in the week, Marie Schott stepped down from her role as managing director of The Kooples, the fashion label owned by the MF Brands group alongside Lacoste, Aigle and Gant. Anne-Laure Couplet, former CEO of Burton and Paule Ka, is taking over from Schott on Friday June 23, FashionNetwork.com has learnt.

In February 2021, Schott replaced Romain Guinier as managing director of the French rock-chic label. Schott, the former CEO of Undiz and Etam, oversaw The Kooples alongside Creative Director Capucine Safyurtlu, the former creative director of Stella Luna. Safyurtlu, who had joined The Kooples in July 2021, left the label discreetly in March.

The French affordable luxury label, founded in 2008 by siblings Alexandre, Laurent and Raphaël Elicha, was bought in 2019 from the Elicha family by Swiss group MF Brands.

Couplet’s appointment was confirmed in a press release issued by MF Brands, stating that her mission will be to mastermind and sustain the label's expansion in France and internationally.

“I am pleased to announce the arrival of Anne-Laure Couplet as CEO of The Kooples. Her leadership qualities, product understanding and organisational sense will be essential to elevate the label’s desirability and performance. I would like to thank Marie Schott for her commitment to the group and the brand, and wish her every success in her new projects,” said ​Thierry Guibert, CEO of MF Brands.

Couplet is taking charge of The Kooples at a time when the global outlook for fashion retail is complex, and the same goes for the label, in the midst of a turnaround phase since undergoing an irreverence cure starting in April 2022, aimed at revitalizing it.

A graduate of the Manhattan Institute of Management, Couplet worked at Tati as deputy general manager in charge of products (April 2012 - April 2016), at Maisons du Monde as brand managing director (April 2016 - March 2019), and was then appointed to replace Thierry Perusat as head of the Burton chain for four years, from May 2019 until May 2023. At the same time, Couplet was CEO of the Paule Ka label (also owned by the Burton group, bought in 2020 by Thierry Le Guénic) since February 2021.