In yesterday's post, we explored architectural projects influenced by climate change, rising sea levels, and floods. Let's continue the "water" theme by shifting to fashion, focusing on a new accessory created by the Coperni duo.
Earlier this year, Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant, known for their science-inspired designs (remember the spray-on dress made with Fabrican, robot dogs, and the CERN photoshoot?), introduced a remarkable iteration of their iconic Swipe Bag during their A/W 24 runway show. The bag (the name, as you may remember, is inspired by the "swipe to unlock" iPhone icon) resembled solid smoke. Crafted from NASA's silica aerogel, it was composed of 99% air and 1% glass, giving it an ethereal, cloud-like appearance.
In their latest collection, showcased in early October during Paris Fashion Week at Disneyland Paris, the duo unveiled a new version of the Swipe Bag, created in collaboration with Boston-based Rapid Liquid Print (RLP).
RLP, an MIT spin-off founded in 2018, employs cutting-edge technology developed by MIT's Self-Assembly Lab that allows for gravity-free 3D printing.
Rapid Liquid Print's process involves printing designs in a water-based gel suspension, enabling the creation of large-scale, customized products (including entire pieces of furniture), within minutes and using durable, industrial-grade materials.
This gel-submerged method is particularly suited for producing flexible and stretchable rubber, foam and plastic items, which are ready for use almost immediately.
The manufacturing company conducts the gravity-free printing process at their facility, explaining that, unlike traditional 3D printing – which builds objects layer by layer – their technique "draws" objects suspended within the water-based gel.
For this collaboration, RLP used their innovative technique to craft an ocean blue bag inspired by Ariel from Disney's "The Little Mermaid". Made from platinum-cured, recyclable silicone, the Ariel Swipe Bag is made with non-toxic materials, aiming for minimal environmental impact.
A video posted by Coperni on their Instagram page reveals the process behind the creation: printing takes place in a transparent tank filled with the water-based gel.
The gel stabilizes the process, ensuring the silicone retains its shape without collapsing. A fine, sharp needle with a nozzle moves through the gel, forming the bag.
The process is captivating, with the nozzle dispensing the material as the gel "self-heals" after each pass.
Equally fascinating is the final stage, where the bag is completed and carefully removed from the tank by hand, emerging as a fully-formed accessory ready for immediate use, no post-processing required.
The bag is expected to retail for $500, but it is not yet available as Coperni has yet to determine how many RLP Swipe Bags will be produced (but for Disney fans, their previously released Mickey Mouse Swipe Bag is already available for 650 euros).
This collection also includes another standout piece: a bag crafted from a 10 kg block of Swarovski crystal. Caveat emptor, though, as, while small, the bag weighs 1.7 kg and resembles a rather kitsch Swarovski flower vase (it was maybe more a showpiece than a commercial product…).
It will be interesting to see if Coperni continues its tradition of experimenting with innovative materials and manufacturing processes for their Swipe bag in upcoming seasons. However, there seems to be an imbalance in their overall approach. While the Swipe bags are crafted from some of the most extraordinary materials imaginable, suggesting a forward-thinking vision for fashion, the duo's clothing often lacks the same sense of exclusivity and futurism.
Their latest collection, presented in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Paris, reflected a journey from childhood to adulthood, a theme common in many Disney films.
The show opened with a whimsical section that leaned heavily into cute aesthetics. Bloomers on the runway echoed Miu Miu's signature pairing of pants with cardigans. More casual looks followed with models donning Disney T-shirts layered over Hawaiian shirts, "Coperni princess" tees, and a T-shirt marked with scorch marks and the phrase "I've been burned by you before." This section also incorporated vintage pieces.
Certain looks were inspired by Disney heroines: for instance, when in the animated version of "The Little Mermaid" Ariel becomes human, she wears a dress fashioned from an old sail (View this photo). This moment was recreated in a simple dress held together by metal clothespins preceded by scuba diving inspired looks and followed by a more gothic section dedicated to Disney's villains.
According to the designers, around 10% of the collection was produced in collaboration with Disney. Some of the designs echoed iconic Disney heroines, such as a bustier dress with a neckline inspired by Aurora's (from the Sleeping Beauty) tiara (View this photo) and a Maleficent (View this photo) horned hoodie paired with horned Mary Janes (mind you, horns already appeared in a previous Swipe Bag designed by Heven for Coperni's A/W 22 collection View this photo). Other pieces included Mickey Mouse pumps (think of Coperni's UFO pumps with added Mickey ears and you get an idea, even though walking in them might be questionable…).
Cringy one-legged pants (that appeared on other runways as well, like Louis Vuitton and Bottega Veneta, so this may actually be a cringy trend for the next season…) and strapless bodysuits with voluminous satin sleeves or bell-bottoms were more avant-garde, but likely impractical for mere mortals (these are best left to celebrities or forgotten altogether…).
Science played a role in the Tinker Bell-inspired dresses and tops, which were encased in silicone and adorned with hand-crafted flowers made from electrical cables by Julie Lamarche in Paris. Modern interpretations of Cinderella's tattered gown were followed by Kylie Jenner in a rather banal black ballgown.
As a positive note, it's worth mentioning that the runway casting included a diverse range of models and featured plus-size representation as well (which in Ozempic times is becoming rather rare…).
It wasn't Coperni who sought out Disney for this collaboration, but the other way around. The duo then suggested to host the first-ever runway show at Disneyland Paris, an event that, according to the designers, took two years in the making.
However, despite the collaboration's promise, something felt off in the collection. Some of the dark looks echoed Balenciaga by Demna Gvasalia, albeit in a more playful, whimsical manner. There was also yet another iteration of shoes with feet/toes outlines, which felt somewhat redundant considering they have appeared on anybody's runway (remember Comme des Garçons' iconic oxford shoes complete with nail polish that referenced Pierre Cardin's 1986 men's footwear, in turn inspired by René Magritte's "Le Modèle Rouge", or Alexander McQueen's S/S 2009, Cèline's S/S 13 and Dior's Haute Couture S/S 18 Magritte-inspired shoes, not to mention Vibram's FiveFingers by Suicoke x Midorikawa and Daniel Roseberry's designs for Schiaparelli…).
One controversial issue surfaced the day after the show: a TikTok user posted a video claiming he recognized a vintage Disney T-shirt on the runway that he had sold on second-hand marketplace Vinted three weeks earlier. A Disney fan with social media accounts under @BacklotProd, the user had listed a blue Mickey Mouse/Donald Duck T-shirt for 9 euros on the platform. At first, he doubted it could be the same shirt, but after looking up the buyer's name, he discovered it was an Assistant Designer at Coperni. To add to the humor, he noted that they even tried to haggle for a 2 euro discount and requested next-day shipping (View this photo).
Aside from the implications (yes, they stated that they were using vintage pieces, but you may also have expected more exclusive pieces, and will these vintage pieces actually be reproduced with Disney's permission and sold for a lot more?), the irony is amusing – you wonder if, despite the Disney collaboration, the designers has exhausted their budget on producing the Swipe bags and had not much left so they tried to put together a collection looking for bargains on the Internet.
Coperni may be at a crossroads now: they could either continue exploring new possibilities or shift their focus toward collaborations with major brands like Disney to appeal to "It" girls with designs that may not be groundbreaking, but may be more commercial. While the latter could support their experimental work, the duo's true strength appears to lie in their accessories rather than their clothing (that said, repeatedly reworking the Swipe Bag risks of turning them into a one-hit wonder…).
Time will tell if they choose to prioritize accessories; for now, while "magic happens" at Disney, as its famous parade states, fashion-wise, it seems that magic exists in cutting-edge manufacturing techniques and might also be lurking on Vinted.
