Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer’s six minute application of a spray-on dress on Bella Hadid in a thong proved the coup de théâtre of Paris Fashion Week. In the 48 hours after that show, Launchmetrics calculated, the moment generated $26.3 million dollars worth of coverage. A few months on, the two young designers remain delightedly flabbergasted by that impact. Said Vaillant: “It’s been fantastic. One good thing is that people understand that Coperni is a ‘techno chic’ brand, a tech startup in fashion, which is what we are trying to do. And the other is that while Coperni was known within the industry—we relaunched it four years ago now—this was a real pop culture moment that has allowed us to become more known. So it is amazing. Everybody has been talking about it. One of our very proudest moments is that Mickey Mouse magazine in France gave it a page, to explain to the kids what was happening. This means that suddenly we are talking to a broader audience, and we are very happy about that.”
Meyer, the geek of the pair, is already busy planning next Paris Fashion Week’s tech-led abracadabra moment. In the meantime the Coperni team is focused on bringing this resort collection to market. Shot by Thue Norgaard, the lookbook features Kiki Willems wearing a collection that’s consistent with the brand’s ongoing codes of progressive wearables while also containing several fresh updates. There were, naturally, some references to the tech industry—and especially the designers’ beloved Apple—embedded in the collection. These included AirPod shaped ear adornments and the house’s first iPhone case (for a 13). Helter skelter heel shapes were inspired by old school spiral cords from landline telephones. More subtly, the pops of zingy color in accessories and spandex pieces were meant to evoke smartphone icons against a collection whose wallpaper palette was predominantly pure Parisian monochrome.
The tailoring was backed with technical fabrics, sportily expressed, in order to allow full movement. The house “flower gown” was reissued in a metallic-treated lace, while its twisted dress came in mohair that lent the piece a fuzzily defocused aura. Other organic touches included a zebra print and paint-flecked denim. Said Meyer: “For a show there is, not pressure, but more difficulty because we have to find these very creatively advanced pieces. Here it is more about spontaneous pleasure.” Even without a spray on headline, Coperni’s recently-boosted community of followers should find plenty to take pleasure in here.
