Can Coperni's viral runway stunts drive sustainable sales?

When Coperni is mentioned, many people would visualize Bella Hadid having a dress sprayed onto her body, or Kylie Jenner gracing the runway at Disneyland Paris, or perhaps a viral handbag made from 99% air. The Parisian brand may have crafted a hero piece with the Swipe bag, but internet-breaking moments now dominate its reputation in the industry. Founded in 2013 by Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant, Coperni’s evolution is a case study in runway marketing. Ever since that Hadid moment in Q4 2022, each show has been hotly anticipated, broadly for the event beyond the clothes themselves. But, does this strategy equate to sales? Beyond the Swipe bag According to Launchmetrics, the brand’s famed Spring 2023 moment — when a dress was sprayed onto Hadid using Fabrican’s liquid fiber — generated an astonishing $26.3 million in media impact value (MIV) within 48 hours. The runway stunt captivated audiences worldwide, leading to a surge of over 300,000 new followers overnight and, reportedly, a significant wholesale and e-commerce sales spike. The brand’s Spring 2025 showcase continued this trending streak, racking up $16.8 million in MIV and outperforming more than 91% of brands on the Paris Fashion Week schedule. This time, the buzz revolved around Jenner’s runway appearance, which dominated coverage, with 58% of media mentions highlighting her role in the show. For its latest Fall/Winter 2025/26 presentation, Coperni continued its devotion to spectacle, transforming Paris’ Adidas Arena into a live-action LAN party (a social gathering where everyone plays on their computers together). While models walked the runway, 200 gamers battled it out in real-time, immersing guests in an electrifying mix of fashion and e-sports. Shanghai-based fashion editor and consultant Mark Liu, who attended the event, praised the production, saying, “The show venue was great, the atmosphere — especially the LAN party scene — was amazing. They even offered non-stop drinks, popcorn, and vegan hotdogs for guests while waiting.” Yet, Liu says “the majority of people did not mention the collection itself. A fashion show without fashion is just a show. Sure, there were many details in the collection that reflected the LAN party inspiration, but with so much happening at once, guests’ attention was divided.” Coperni has mastered the art of generating viral moments, but as Liu’s comments suggest, the challenge is ensuring the clothes remain the focal point. One of the top talking points of Fall 2025, after all, was the novelty Tamagotchi collaboration. A secret sales slump? Since its breakout feature in 2022, Coperni has not returned to the Lyst Index of top-performing brands. While its signature Swipe bag remains a best-seller, it has yet to break into any of the platform’s most-wanted product rankings. Laura Darmon, head of buying and business development at ENG Concept Store, believes Coperni’s high-impact runway moments alone won’t sustain long-term growth. “It is definitely not enough from a revenue standpoint,” she says. “The brand has always been great at creating buzz around the show and capturing media attention, but when it comes to the actual pieces in the collection — including collaborative items with big names — it doesn’t translate into sales.” Despite Coperni’s rising profile, assessing its financial health remains challenging due to limited publicly available data. While Coperni UK Ltd, founded in 2019, continues to operate, the most recent financial records extend only to April 2022. The brand is co-owned by Tomorrow Ltd, fashion accelerator behind names like Charles Jeffrey Loverboy and Martine Rose. In an interview, CEO Stefano Martinetto revealed that sales declined 9% to 10% year-over-year in 2024 — a stark contrast to the 35% annual growth rate the company had grown accustomed to, with 2023 its most profitable year to date. Discount dilemma: Do markdowns reveal demand? Coperni’s official online store is offering discounts of up to 50% on select pieces, while third-party retailers such as Flannels, Lyst, The Outnet, and Ssense have marked down Coperni items by as much as 80%. While seasonal discounts are common in luxury fashion, the scale and frequency of these markdowns across multiple platforms may suggest efforts to manage inventory or stimulate demand. Without deeper financial insights, however, the underlying reasons remain speculative. Liu says he has anecdotally heard that Coperni is performing well in China. The company operates 42 stockists in East Asia, including around 19 in the China market alone — the fashion player undeniably has a mainland fanbase, with #coperni at 57.1 million reads on Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote). Balancing act: Spectacle with sales According to Darmon, though, a gap exists between Coperni’s runway theatrics and its commercial strategy. “Runway shows are targeted at insiders, press, and media buyers, but their commercial impact is limited. There is a significant proportion of carryover pieces and no groundbreaking evolution in the collections,” she says. “The brand should allocate part of its runway or collaboration budget toward activations in specific markets, bringing it closer to retailers — but more importantly, to a wider audience, including their actual customers.” Whether the brand can strike a balance between theatricality and wearable design will determine its long-term impact in the industry.

Are viral moments enough for Coperni in APAC?

Upgrade to Pro

Sectors

Insights

Company

Are viral moments enough for Coperni in APAC?