A Casual Spray ON: Coperni’s Newest Innovation

By Eva Bizzarri

In one of the most exciting runway shows at this season’s Paris fashion week, Bella Hadid had a Coperni dress spray-painted on her exposed body. The moment this happened it was circulated on all types of social media. Back in the 90s, at the Alexander McQueen 1999 show robots were spray-painting Shalom Harlows’ white dress, becoming one of the most memorable fashion moments in history. Furthermore, designer Hussein Chalayan featured dissolving dresses at Paris Fashion week in their Spring/Summer 2016 collection. Two models were wearing long white jackets and stood on small podiums where water poured down on them as the clothes began to dissolve. 

Though different, these moments in fashion history displayed creativity and stood out in fashion week. Fashion is a form of non-verbal communication where no words are needed to express themselves. Coperni comes from Nicolaus Copernicus, the father of modern astronomy and the brand is inspired by that. The brand pursues originality and wants to explore wearable clothing technology at some point in the future. They understand that that would require a large sum of money, but are eager to start the project. The co-founders of Coperni state, “It’s our duty as designers to try new things and show a possible future.” Coperni's growth is mainly because the founders focused on targeting their young consumers and product innovation. The brand has also incorporated its presence in social media apps. The hashtag #Coperni has been trending on the app Tik Tok with 73.6 million views. 

Bella Hadid played a huge role in the painting process, the model entered the runway in just white underwear while covering her chest with her hands. You can envision the audience mesmerized and surprised since most models are usually dressed in fashion shows. While the designers painted the dress on her figure she posed high and elegantly. Once the paint solidified into Fabrican- a liquid containing synthetic fibers and once it made contact with skin it evaporates, the model had to walk down the runway and prove it wasn’t a magic trick but an actual dress made in the runaway. 

The way a brand can express its “personality” is shown in the process of a Runaway Show, throughout the years these shows have slowly transitioned from purely observing clothing pieces to experiences where the designers are motivated to create an inspirational atmosphere sending the audience to a further dimension. Art, fashion and technology have merged into runaway shows, creating a spectacle and letting garment pieces take the prime focus while giving the audience a memorable experience. By wearing the things we want to, we show others who we are without saying a word. Occasionally, to inspire moments of greatness the spectacle of our lives is extravagant enough.