All the parades of this Parisian fall-winter 2021-2022 fashion week, which runs until March 10, will be digital. All except one. And, contrary to what one might think, the only one of the 93 brands present to have organized a physical event is not a juggernaut the size of Vuitton or Chanel … but Coperni, the young French label from the tandem Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer, relaunched in 2019.
But how do you invite the public to a parade when gatherings are prohibited? You had to think about it: with cars, since nothing prevents cars from converging at a point. Coperni therefore joined forces with the DS brand, which is usually a partner of Paris Fashion Week: Thursday evening March 4, 36 hybrid SUVs transported around sixty participants to an undisclosed location, which turned out to be the Paris-Bercy sports center. A performance hall that has been dormant for months, capable of accommodating some 20,000 visitors.
Around 7 p.m., the cars rushed into the access usually reserved for vehicles responsible for transporting equipment and parked carefully on the herringbone on the central floor, in the middle of the empty stands. To help them in their maneuvers, and because nothing is left to chance in a fashion show, a team of young people equipped with glow sticks had been deployed, giving the concert hall an air of tarmac.
At 7:30 p.m. sharp, the bouncy techno of VisTexx Project begins to resonate in the interiors of cars and the first mannequins come out of the backstages. It must be admitted that a back seat is not the most strategic position for observing the detail of clothing, especially in the night atmosphere lit by the headlights of the DS. Among the invited journalists and influencers, some took advantage of the sunroof to film the scene, iPhone in one hand, a glass in the other – from Evian (sponsor of the event) or Ruinart (a mini-bottle had been placed in the car).
What about the clothes? “The collection explores the complexity and mystery of the night as we know it: sometimes totally black, sometimes studded with stars, sometimes illuminated by the moon”, explains the press release. In fact, this results in tight mini-dresses, jackets with oversized shoulders, lace tops like a second skin with little coverage, faux fur coats revealing the shoulders, neon pumps, sequins everywhere and even on the eyes. mannequins. A party wardrobe that corresponds to the wishes of the designers of “To give pleasure, to sell dreams”.
The duo wanted to propose “A total experience”, It is clear that it is successful, and that their operation of around ten minutes is perfectly calibrated to be relayed on social networks. Especially in this time of eventual scarcity, where Instagram posts are for a lot reduced to photos of material invitations to virtual parades or looks taken from videos.
How has the Coperni brand, which does not belong to a large luxury group, but is only backed by an agency (Tomorrow London Holdings Ltd, a multiservice platform dedicated to creators), was able to deploy such means? With skillful partnerships and a certain sense of resourcefulness: in the absence of concerts and other festivities, the halls sell off their prices. And in this period when nothing is the same as before, the inaccessible becomes accessible.
