Zadig & Voltaire

It is the piece the brand is best known for, so if you want one signature item it is the place to start. The rock-and-roll-inspired cashmere knits with skull and wing motifs are what give Zadig&Voltaire its identity. Buy it for the attitude and the soft hand, and treat it as the wardrobe shorthand for Parisian rock-chic that it is.

It sits in the contemporary-luxury bracket, pricing for design and Parisian positioning as much as for materials. The edgy, rock-and-roll aesthetic and signature motifs are the draw, and shoppers debate how much of the price is the look versus the make. Go in for the distinctive style first and judge value on the specific piece.

Edgy, rock-and-roll-inspired French style, softened by Parisian ease. The house leans on recurring motifs, especially skulls and angel wings, across womenswear, menswear and childrenswear, which is how a Zadig&Voltaire piece announces itself across a room.

It was founded in Paris in 1997 by Thierry Gillier. He is the son of Andre Gillier, the owner and president of a large French knitwear manufacturing firm and a cofounder of Lacoste, so the brand was born with knitwear in its DNA.

Zadig is a 1747 novella by Voltaire. The brand borrows the writer and his book outright, pairing literary, free-thinking heritage with its rock-chic clothes.

In January 2024 Cecilia Bonstrom, who had been artistic director since 2006, left the company. She was replaced by founder Thierry Gillier, bringing the creative direction back to the family that started the house.

The brand operates its own stores worldwide and is also stocked by major US department stores: Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Between its own boutiques and those retailers you can find the full range without much hunting.

Both are French houses working a rock-chic, edgy register, which is why they are so often weighed against each other. Zadig&Voltaire leans on its skull, star and wing motifs and Parisian-rock softness; The Kooples plays a sharper, more androgynous-tailoring hand. Choose on which silhouette suits you, since the mood overlaps.

Yes. Kate Moss collaborated with the company on the Kate bag, and in 2014 model Freja Beha designed a capsule collection, with a portion of the profits donated to Doctors Without Borders. The brand's muses have included Bella Hadid, who became the face of the label in 2017.

Treat it like the investment knit it is. Cashmere does best hand-washed cool or on a gentle cycle in a mesh bag, then dried flat to keep its shape rather than hung. Store it folded with the skull or wing motif protected, and a soft sweater comb will keep it looking sharp season after season.