Thriving in the spotlight is often the cornerstone of success, a feat Coperni masterfully achieved during Paris Fashion Week. With its innovative hype’n’tech approach, the brand shines bright, guided by founders Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant. They chart new creative territories by seamlessly blending fashion, technology, and science.
Their latest venture, the Coperni Air Swipe bag, crafted with 99% air and 1% glass and featuring NASA’s nanomaterial silica Aerogel, is a ground-breaking sensation. It’s already rewriting records as the lightest bag on Earth and the largest object ever created with this cutting-edge material.
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The Air Swipe bag made its debut on the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2024-25, adorned with a tailored beige wool suit sporting a one-piece collar paired with white Puma x Coperni speedcats. (Off-topic: their resemblance to the lines of the Tesla Cybertruck is uncanny, isn’t it? Back to the topic.)
Unveiling the Coperni-can Revolution
For the past couple of years, Coperni has adopted a unique and captivating approach to marketing and communication, particularly with their product drops, notably their iconic Swipe bag. This accessory has emerged as one of the most sought-after items of the 2020s, seen on style icons such as Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, and Kylie Jenner. Since its debut in the Fall-Winter 2019/20 collection, Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant have consistently infused it with fresh energy, introducing new commercial versions and incorporating high-tech elements into runway shows to generate buzz around it. This strategy sustains the bag’s allure, solidifying its status as a cult favourite while maintaining competitive pricing, making it notably more accessible than other iconic bags. Truly, this is a Coperni-can revolution.
The Air Swipe bag made its debut on the Coperni fall-winter 2024/25 runway envisioned by Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant. Courtesy of Coperni
Meyer and Vaillant shared their vision with DSCENE, drawing parallels to Copernicus’s revolutionary placement of the sun at the centre of the universe. They aim to prioritise women in their designs, empowering them to feel exceptional in Coperni clothing. “We want them to feel great in our clothes. It’s also a nod to innovation, to new technologies, which are at the centre of our preoccupations as designers,” they stated.
The brand’s namesake, Copernicus, is celebrated as one of history’s most disruptive scientists—a true trailblazer. He was a visionary ahead of his time, delving into the exploration of new galaxies and unravelling the mysteries of the universe. Half a millennium ago, he dared to conceive something almost unthinkable at the time: that we are not the centre of the universe, but rather, we revolve around the sun, challenging the prevailing beliefs of his era.
Much like Copernicus, the creative duo at Coperni boldly pushes boundaries each season, striving “to infinity and beyond” (to borrow from Buzz Lightyear), with the Swipe bag as the centrepiece of their vision. The excitement it generates creates a gravitational pull, attracting a diverse audience fascinated not only by the fashion extravaganza but also by its artistic, provocative, and technological allure.
From Scientific Oddity to Sales Sensation: The Phenomenon Behind the Coperni Swipe Bag
Embracing the ethos of “to boldly go where no man has gone before” (quoting the iconic Star Trek opening scene), Coperni demonstrates mastery in venturing into uncharted territories. In March 2023, they unveiled a unique version of the Swipe bag, meticulously carved from a meteorite. This extraordinary piece, crafted from Moon rock that plummeted to Earth 55,000 years ago and was discovered in 1968 in the South of France, epitomises Coperni’s unwavering commitment to innovation, boundary-pushing, and sensational creativity.
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Their recent partnership with NASA aptly demonstrates this unwavering commitment to advancement. They developed the lightest bag ever made, crafted with Aerogel, a captivating material engineered to ensnare stardust within a delicate yet remarkably sturdy glass shell. Nonetheless, given its fragile composition, the Coperni Air Swipe bag isn’t suited for carrying everyday essentials such as keys, wallets, and smartphones. This begs the question: beyond the hype, what is the real purpose of creating a bag that challenges traditional functionality?
It’s a strategic positioning manoeuvre for the brand, leveraging its Swipe bag to set itself apart during pivotal events like Paris Fashion Week, making it a mission to outfit women with a contemporary Parisian flair. Additionally, the brand has introduced more accessible versions of the Swipe bag, priced at a few hundred euros, which has helped it gain a broader audience, further increasing its popularity.
Indeed, the Swipe bag represents a more affordable option compared to other signature bags such as Gucci’s Jackie bag, Balenciaga’s Rodeo bag, and The Row’s Margaux bag, which can cost up to ten times more. Not to mention the exorbitant prices of Hermès’s Birkin bag and Chanel 2.55, which are beyond reach for many. However, with its ambitious and unconventional prototypes, the Coperni Swipe bag has earned its place among iconic bags, alongside pieces such as Dior’s Saddle bag, reintroduced by Maria Grazia Chiuri, and the MM6 Maison Margiela bag, inspired by the Japanese art of origami.
Beyond Hype, Towards Tech Advancement and Science-Informed Style
But Coperni’s ethos transcends mere hype or sensational stunts. The brand’s foundation lies in a deeply ingrained tech-oriented approach to innovation.
Thus, the unique high-tech Swipe bags, which captivate audiences on the catwalk and ignite our desires, aren’t merely strategic ploys to boost sales. They represent ambitious experiments, collaborating with luminaries in the scientific realm and pushing boundaries into uncharted territories.
Bella Hadid with designers Sébastien Meyer e Arnaud Vaillant at the end of the Coperni Spring-Summer 2023 show. Courtesy of Coperni
Notably, Coperni has made waves with scientific projects that run parallel to runway sensations on Instagram. Bella Hadid’s spray-on dress, created live during the Spring-Summer 2023 show, was conceived by scientist and inventor Manel Torres and his company, Fabrican, located at the London BioScience Innovation Centre.
The robot dog that made its way onto the catwalk at the Fall-Winter 2023/24 show was engineered by Boston Dynamics.
Humane's AI Pin. Photo courtesy of Humane
Additionally, Coperni endorsed the new AI Pin by Humane, worn by Naomi Campbell, at the Coperni Spring-Summer 2024 show.
Highlight Reels and Slip-Ups: Navigating the Ups and Downs of the Swipe Bag
Tech is woven into Coperni’s DNA, right down to the name of the Swipe bag. With its nod to the ‘swipe to unlock’ iPhone icon, progress is at its core.
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But the Coperni duo has had its share of hits and misses when it comes to their innovative designs. While each creation had its Instagram moment, some of them have been less groundbreaking than others. Reflecting on it, the CD-PLAYER Swipe Bag, unveiled alongside the Spring-Summer 2024 collection, falls a bit short. Its only notable feature was that it was 3D printed to align with the ‘fashion-tronic’ trend, similar to the Balenciaga speaker bag created with Bang & Olufsen and the Horizon Speaker by Louis Vuitton.
The much-anticipated reflective glow-in-the-dark Swipe bag teased on Instagram turned out to be more of a publicity gimmick. In reality, the only reflective Swipe bag available for purchase is the Mini Swipe, crafted from shiny faux leather.
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The most underwhelming offering was arguably the Swipe glass bag produced as a limited edition with Heven. Despite its artisanal craftsmanship, it bore a striking resemblance to hand-blown glass bags previously created by Josh Raiffe for various brands and clients.
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Now that Coperni’s Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant have soared to new heights with their Air Swipe bag, we can only speculate about what innovation they’ll introduce next to continue captivating us.
Gaia Giordani
Generative AI explorer and New Media Communication expert