Bella Hadid’s Coperni Dress: A Sci-Fashion Revolution
We have all been captivated by Bella Hadid’s recent runway look.
We have all been captivated by Bella Hadid’s recent runway look.
Coverage of fashion week sweeps the media in reaction to unique occurrences. However, the following event has sparked a new conversation in ways we could not have foreseen. If your algorithm has revolved around Paris Fashion Week, then surely most people have one thing in common; we have all been captivated by Bella Hadid’s recent runway look. On the Coperni runway, Hadid came out in a G string, covering her breast as the audience stared in awe with no idea of what was going to follow— and what happened next was truly a Fifth Element moment. Two men appeared and started spraying a white mist onto her body. As time went by, our eyes widened seeing a dress being made on the spot. The last touch was a woman cutting the white cocoon to give it an off-shoulder look. Afterward, Hadid strutted that runway, and the miracle-like dress flowed with her every movement, it was truly a viral moment. A similar instance to this runway was back in 1999 during Alexander Mcqueen’s spring show, where robots sprayed paint onto an already existing dress, an equally surprising moment that was somewhat recreated here.
The Parisian brand Coperni, founded by its creative director Sébastien Meyer and its CEO Arnaud Vaillant, is responsible for this creation. For people who aren’t fashion fiends and may be unfamiliar with this brand, it is known for its glamorous and innovative DIY creations and has been worn by celebrities, such as Doja Cat, Rihanna, Olivia Rodrigo, and more. Earlier this year they came out with a hand-blown glass bag that caused a sensation among big stars who used it to accessorize their red carpet looks. The designers have mentioned in subsequent interviews that they want to bring the liquid fiber used to make Hadid’s dress into the pharmaceutical field so that casts and bandages can be made more easily and on the spot. It is clear that creators more than ever are elevating the stakes, and the Coperni runway is proof of this.
Something that has not been talked about enough is how the fashion scene has been incorporating technology and science for quite a while. Since the beginning of fashion, it has been behind innovation, from the creation of machines that would let us sew, to tints to dye fabric, e-commerce sites that let us buy clothes from afar, and computer-aided systems that facilitate the process of making clothes. Today, fashion technology is growing quicker than ever, and seeing spray-on fabric is evidence. With these technological advances, we might get creations that would further the simplicity of the aforementioned processes.
Hadid’s runway impact says a lot more than what meets the eye. The line between scientific inventions and fashion has not been this thin in years. As technology continues to transform our society, we cannot stop ourselves from asking what line it won’t cross. Fashion is about expressing ourselves and our beliefs in this world. With the help of science, who knows what we may accomplish in the future. Our lifestyle will be one we could not have imagined, one we saw in movies, a dream world that might just be around the corner.
Paloma Villavicencio — October 24th, 2022
