That’s Fashion, Sweetie: Do you deserve to make history

Coperni debuted its Spring-Summer 2023 collection during Paris Fashion Week, and it was nothing short of spectacular. I anticipated what their show-stopping piece would be this year; they had already gone viral for their glass bubble/horned bags and the denim jean boots, but this year was their most evocative, powerful and daring yet. 

The final look of the show was more of a performance than anything else. It girl Bella Hadid steps out in nothing but a thong, and she stands in all of her beauty as they sprayed the white dress onto her. Yes — I said sprayed. The spray slowly clung to her body, and before Hadid took her walk around the runway, the designers cut a slit and twisted the sleeves to fall off of her shoulders, taking “custom made” to a whole new level. The way the white dress molded off of Hadid was reminiscent of greek statues seen in museums and all over Pinterest. 

Many people immediately compared it to Alexander McQueen’s SS99 collection, where his final look was a model spinning as her dress got sprayed by robots. I, too, immediately saw this connection and thought Coperni’s was a more modern take on McQueen’s version – until I saw TikTok user Taylor Wang’s (@taylorwjc) video. 

There, Wang explains how Coperni made a splash, but it doesn’t get to count as history since there was nothing else backing up the collection: it simply was just a fantastic and surprising ending to Coperni’s show. But what thought was put behind it? What message was it trying to send? If it’s the same old “technology is coming” message, should that even count as something new? 

Before I get more into my thoughts, I think discussing what makes something historic is important. Most often, for an event to be historic, there has to be something that is new, out of the ordinary and imperative to the understanding of something — things like wars or cultural revolutions. As a result, the historic things get noted, remembered and studied by those in the future years and incorporated into curriculums or studies. 

However, with the age of social media, everything, whether historic or not, is well documented because a digital footprint exists. Everything, and I mean everything, can be found eventually, including archive collections and footage of McQueen’s robotic painted dress. 

The internet is obsessed with 90s Chanel, but it’s not historic, it’s simply an aesthetic that the current generation has grown fond of and obsessed with — also because of who was wearing the garments — i.e. Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell of the supermodel era.

But, if we refer back to the TikTok, for something to be historical, does it have to have an immense background of deep and profound meaning? Personally, I disagree. 

Going back to 90s Chanel, the collection is still immensely popular for mood boards and outfit inspiration, partially because the combination of pastel tweed and jewelry is such an aesthetic, and partially because the collection happened in the supermodel era. But it is historic because of what the collection has become, not historic in its time and at the moment of its debut. 

Still, when an industry emphasizes creating or revitalizing something new, then I believe it does earn the chance to count as history. Coperni revitalized the blend of technology and fashion past 3D printing like threeASFOUR and McQueen’s robots, but, as some media outlets haven’t yet discovered, Coperni also revived the spray-on fabric itself. 

It was actually first invented by particle enginer Paul Luckham and designer Dr. Manel Torres (who sprayed it on to Hadid) in 2010. They created it so that the spray could be easily layered and transformed into a clingy fabric that could be washed but could also serve in the medical field as a sterilized spray to help wounds heal. 

And, while I’m happy they have given Dr. Torres the chance to spotlight his creation, what about Luckham? As I do believe that the Coperni moment will go down in history because of how iconic the moment was with such a cultural icon like Hadid, is this another case of who gets the credit for this event coming to surface? Will it be Dr. Torres and Luckham who actually invented it, or Coperni, the bigger dog, who marketed it in an efficient and incredible way?

I believe in an ideal world that both will get credit, with more emphasis on the former, but if anything, at least this article will be one more voice advocating for the underdogs. And, until then, live, love, Coperni. 

Hadyn Phillips is a sophomore writing about fashion in the 21st century, specifically spotlighting new trends and popular controversy. Her column, “That’s Fashion, Sweetie,” runs every Thursday.