It is not new that Bella Hadid stands out on the catwalks. Since the beginning of her career, the model has stolen the spot in each job, delivering elegance and sensuality. This season was no different – Gigi Hadid’s sister took part in several shows at fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan, and Paris. But the highlight is the French location – what made Hadid’s participation so special? Nothing less than a spray dress, painted live on the model’s body.
THE BRAND
The memorable moment was provided by the Parisian ready-to-wear and accessories brand Coperni. It was founded in 2013 by Sébastien Meyer (Creative Director & Co-Founder) and Arnaud Vaillant (CEO & Co-Founder). The duo met in 2008 at their Parisian fashion school. An interesting fact is that, in addition to the professional partnership, their love relationship extends to the personal side – they got married on Hydra Island, Greece.
It is also curious that the name “Coperni” is related to the mathematical and astronomical research of Heliocentrism carried out by the Renaissance artist Nicolaus Copernicus. The theme inspires the designers’ visual world.
For the Spring 2023 edition, Coperni presented the collection “Coperni Femme“, as an opportunity to reconfigure the paradigm of femininity. The seven- minute runway featured Roblox-inspired shoulders, bra cups reinterpreted as shoulder pads, and a red dress designed to reflect Fiona Johnson’s sexy glitch gown in The Matrix. There were also dresses made in a thousand pieces of embroidered glass that tinkled uproariously, and of course, the “spray dress” of the closing look.
THE DRESS MOMENT
No needles, no fabric, no sewing machine – just a spray fabric – that’s how the stunning dress worn by Bella Hadid was made. The North American model arrived on the catwalk half-naked, with only her underwear on, and climbed onto an underlit platform. Soon after, a two-man team began painting the model’s body with the paint that turned into fabric. Upon contacting her skin, the spray was still in liquid texture, mattifying in a few minutes. At the end, Meyer and Vaillant’s colleague came to adjust the straps of the garment at her shoulder´s height and create a slit with scissors. And as if this wasn’t enough, the model also even walked the runway in a pure white dress, which outlined her silhouette to the height of her calves. It was truly a historic moment in the fashion world.
It is worth mentioning that it took six months of group work between the co-founders of the Coperni brand, Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant, and the Spanish stylist, Manel Torres, at the Bioscience Innovation Center, in London. Furthermore, the idea resulted from of Meyer’s specific obsession with cutting-edge technology.
WHAT ABOUT THE FABRIC?
Doctor Manel Torres was not only part of the spray application procedure on near-naked Hadid – the scientist is also responsible for creating the substance itself. The name of the spray fabric is “Fabrican” and the liquid contains cotton and synthetic fibers suspended in a polymeric solution, which solidifies when touching the model’s body. The substance also resembles the texture of cobwebs after manufacture, with fibers well joined and aligned, but within minutes it takes on the appearance of a smooth and soft cotton fabric.
Between the singularities of the material, there is another one to be highlighted – the fabric can be reused after making a piece. It is the succession of removal and transformation into solution again, to bring a new part to life.
Hadid’s dress has exclusives – it cannot be sold or worn by someone else, as it was molded perfectly to the model’s body measurements. But that’s not goodbye to the dress, as Coperni plans to make it available in the brand’s showroom
IS IT REALLY AN INNOVATION?
YES! There is no beating around the bush with this question, as while the runways have been the scene of countless memorable fashion moments, a dress painted live by a team of people on such an admired model is revolutionary.
But still, there were high-profile moments similar to this one, like designer Lee Alexander McQueen’s spring 1999 show. Two robots spray-painted a dress on the Shalom Harlow model. The idea is similar, but the course of the moments was completely different. In this case, Harlow arrived on the catwalk in a white, strapless dress, which was sprayed with jets of black and yellow, which gave the piece a new face.
The show that took place on September 30th this year was not inspired by McQueen’s 1999 creation, as confirmed by Vaillant. In any case, it is necessary to emphasize that the two cases mark not only the importance of fashion in the contemporary world, but also how much further creation can go. There are no limits when it comes to the catwalk.
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This article was edited by Lorena Lindenberg. Liked this type of content? Check out Her Campus Cásper Líbero Page for more!