Paris fashion has lost one of its most inventive young labels. On 4 November, Coperni’s co-founders and creative directors, Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant, announced that Coperni SAS, the French company behind the brand, is ceasing operations after eight years. In a message shared on Instagram they thanked everyone who had supported them and signed off with a hopeful “See you soon”.
Why the label is closing
According to Vogue Business and Vanity Fair Italia, the decision followed months of conflict with Tomorrow, the brand’s exclusive distributor and majority shareholder, over sums the founders say were never paid. Coperni had already skipped its Paris Fashion Week show in early 2026, and in June it obtained court protection in Paris while the founders tried to buy their brand back. Tomorrow’s operating businesses had been sold in March to Progetto 11, owner of The Level Group. In a statement to Vogue Business, Progetto 11 said it regretted the closure but disputed the claimed amounts and denied that it had refused to help find a solution.
The ideas we will remember
Coperni earned its place in fashion history by treating the runway as a laboratory. The best-known moment came at the spring/summer 2023 show in September 2022, when a dress was sprayed directly onto Bella Hadid using Fabrican, a liquid-fibre material developed by designer and scientist Manel Torres. Many saw a nod to Alexander McQueen’s 1999 show, where robotic arms spray-painted a white dress.
Then there was the Swipe Bag, the oval design first shown in 2019 and inspired by the gesture used to unlock a smartphone. Over the years it appeared in blown glass, in 18-carat gold, in real meteorite and, in 2024, as the Air Swipe Bag, made of silica aerogel and weighing only 33 grams. The brand also staged a drive-in show at the Accor Arena during the pandemic, held a show at Disneyland Paris and sent robot dogs down the runway.
What links these moments is a simple belief that a bag or a dress can still surprise us. If Coperni has inspired you to look for a piece with real character, browse our women’s handbags, shoulder bags and crossbody bags, or finish a statement look with our earrings and rings.
Sources: Vanity Fair Italia, Vogue, W Magazine, franceinfo.
