The secrets behind the most commented dress on social networks

The scene, which captivated millions of people on social networks, took place at the Museum of Arts and Crafts in the final nine minutes of the Coperni parade, the mark of the duo Arnaud Vaillant and Sebastien Meyer , the two young prodigies who do not leave to amaze the sophisticated fashion public with his innovative ideas.

But with that magic trick they did more than surprise: they made history. The privileged attendees (even before knowing what would happen there, the Coperni parade was one of the most requested of the Week), were able to see with their own eyes the incredible metamorphosis from a liquid to a fabric and from a fabric to a dress , “a futuristic fusion of science and fashion” as the duo describe it. The future is here, really.

But once the technicians from the team led by Spanish scientist Manel Torres, inventor of the material, covered the model's body, it was the turn of Charlotte Raymond, the brand's director of design, to give the final - and essential - touch to the dress. , transforming it from a curiosity to a Coperni creation, before the eyes of a fascinated audience.

Even in the midst of the media whirlwind that doesn't stop, we were able to speak with her so that she could share her unprecedented experience with L'Officiel.

How did you feel at that precise moment, working with all eyes on you? It was actually very strange. I was like on a mission, very focused on what the Torres team was doing and on the dress that was being created. It was cold. The material is very cold at the time of application and furthermore, the act of vaporization causes a wind effect. It also has quite an intense smell, which is why we put the aeration system on maximum, so as not to bother the audience. For my part, I was super focused and did not allow my concern to submerge me. I just got carried away with emotion once it was all over.

Was it planned that you would do that masterful cut, the cut that you made in the dress and the touch in the strap? Yes, we had already planned it. We had been preparing for that moment for four months when we went to London to find Torres and he showed us what he was doing. We loved it. Then we went back to do the test with a model and then we rehearsed two more times in Paris, the last one the day before the show. In fact a few weeks before, the guys asked me to be the one to go on stage because they considered it a bit pretentious for Sebastien to do it and they preferred it to be someone who represented the studio, and I, of course, did it with great pleasure. It was a unique experience.

Were you nervous before the parade? A little, the truth, is the risk of "live". We didn't know if the steaming machine would work, if the dress would be well conceived. It's pretty solid stuff, but hey, when you're live you never know. Anything could have happened.

What is that magic stuff? It should be noted that the material has other uses besides fashion. Torres works for the pharmaceutical industry, for protective clothing, for bandages, plasters... First it seems as if they were spider webs, then the layers solidify and become a fabric that is soft to the touch but elastic and porous, actually It's like a cotton jersey. Very nice. The formula is secret but I know that it is hypo-allergenic, washable, can be dissolved and reused infinitely, putting it back in the bottle of its original solution to regenerate it.

But I imagine that particular dress is not going to be disintegrated! Nope! It will remain in our archives or in our showroom. It was a great experience. And then we will continue working with the scientific team on other projects… Arnaud and Sebastien are passionate about new technologies.

It was learned that Bella, later backstage , said that this had been a culminating moment of her career. Did she tell you something while you were working on her? Due to her schedule we had not been able to rehearse with her, so she was a little nervous, but that was not seen at all. From time to time he raised his arms above his head in a very graceful manner. At times he would say little comforting words to me, at times he would smile at me and give me encouraging glances. And at the same time, do not forget that she was very cold. But it was very nice, an intimate moment. That's why this year we decided to do the parade in a small room because we thought it was important for Bella to feel comfortable, because it's not easy to appear practically naked in front of an audience. Finally we were happy that there were much fewer people than in previous years.

You too were dressed in a bodysuit made of a technologically advanced material. Yes, it is the C+ jersey, a material that we had developed for the 2021 summer collection, wrinkle-free and anti-bacterial, obtained with a special process that blocks bacteria and gives it a waterproof consistency that we thought was very adapted to the moment.

How did they celebrate afterwards? We had a drink backstage with all the models who had watched the performance. And then we celebrate with the whole team. And after a short night's sleep we woke up and saw the enormous impact it had had. Coperni's Instagram account was blocked because there were so many visits that it became a bug and the mother house in San Francisco had to fix it.

And if all that wasn't enough to make people talk about Coperni, there was the gold bag... Yes, it's a new edition of the Swipe, which is the brand's iconic bag inspired by the iPhone's Mode Avion. For this season Sebastien had the idea of making it in 18k gold. We work with the Italian company Semar, who made it by hand. Like the dress, the gold in the bag can also be reused as it can be melted down. We don't know if we are going to sell it (it costs 150,000 euros) or melt it down to do something else.

It seems to me that the problem that Coperni has is that now they have set the bar very high for the next parade... Exactly. We're going to have to do a creativity test!