The fashion house that once sprayed a dress onto Bella Hadid's body in front of a live audience has announced its closure. French label Coperni is ceasing operations following an unresolved dispute with its majority shareholder and distributor, Tomorrow, bringing an end to one of fashion's most experimental names.
Co-founders and creative directors Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer confirmed the decision on Wednesday, 4 November, in an emotional Instagram statement. The designers explained that months of efforts to preserve Coperni and resolve the conflict had failed, leaving them with no viable solution.
For a brand that made a habit of turning seemingly impossible ideas into runway reality, the announcement is particularly bittersweet. Coperni could make a dress appear from a spray can, send robotic dogs down a catwalk, and turn a handbag into a technological experiment. Unfortunately, even the most innovative designs would not resolve business troubles.
Why Is Coperni Shutting Down?
The closure follows a prolonged dispute with Tomorrow, which became Coperni's majority shareholder and exclusive distributor in 2019. According to reports, tensions escalated over allegedly unpaid revenue shares and reimbursements. The financial difficulties eventually affected Coperni's ability to operate, prompting the designers to withdraw from Paris Fashion Week earlier this year.
In March, Tomorrow was acquired by Progetto 11, the holding company behind Italian e-commerce business The Level Group. Vaillant and Meyer subsequently sought to regain control of Coperni, but those efforts did not produce an agreement. The brand received protection from a Paris commercial court in June as it attempted to navigate the dispute and continue operating. However, those efforts were not enough to secure the label's future.
In their farewell statement, the founders thanked the fashion community, collaborators, employees, and factories that helped bring their designs to life. 'Coperni existed because of you', they wrote, describing the past eight years as an extraordinary journey.
From Bella Hadid's Spray-on Dress to Disneyland Paris
Coperni was originally founded in 2013 before being relaunched in 2018, following Vaillant and Meyer's tenure at Courrèges. Its clean, architectural designs soon became emblematic, particularly the curved Swipe Bag, which took inspiration from the familiar motion of unlocking a smartphone.
However, the label's defining moment arrived in September 2022, when Bella Hadid walked onto the spring/summer 2023 runway wearing nude underwear. Specialists from Fabrican sprayed a liquid textile directly onto the model, creating a white dress before the audience's eyes. The garment was later on adjusted into a wearable runway look, producing one of the decade's most memorable fashion spectacles.
Coperni followed that achievement with robotic dogs interacting with models during its autumn/winter 2023 presentation. The designers continued taking fashion down the road less taken in October 2024, staging their spring/summer 2025 show at Disneyland Paris. Kylie Jenner closed the presentation in a dramatic black gown, while Mickey Mouse-inspired accessories brought a playful touch to the collection. For Coperni, an ordinary runway was rarely quite enough.
Fashion's Biggest Names Say Goodbye
The announcement prompted an outpouring of support from designers, models, and other industry figures. Olivier Rousteing commented, 'Coperni Forever', while Julia Fox offered a hopeful response: 'This is not the end!'
Fashion designer Simon Porte Jacquemus also reacted with a heart emoji, joining numerous supporters paying tribute to the duo's creative legacy. Although Coperni's operations are ending, Vaillant and Meyer left their followers with a message that sounded less like a permanent farewell. 'See you soon', they wrote.
For now, the fashion world is closing the book on a label that repeatedly challenged what a runway presentation could look like. From a dress made in minutes to a show staged at the home of fairy tales, Coperni understood how to make an audience believe in things outside the box.
The curtain may have fallen on Coperni, but its designers have already proved that fashion's most memorable moments don't always follow the script. Perhaps their next act is still waiting in the wings of something spectacularly unexpected.
