Carpet Company Is Playing the Long Game

Before an impish monkey named Julius—emblazoned on everything from T-shirts and sweatpants to lunchboxes and handbags—became virtually inescapable in the early 2000s, there was just a sewing machine, a stack of vinyl, and a makeshift workshop in Paul Frank Sunich’s Southern California garage. Those homemade experiments would eventually grow into Paul Frank, a global brand that turned Sunich’s cartoon monkey into a pop-cultural touchstone for an entire generation.

Ayman and Osama…