Here's the secret behind Bella Hadid’s iconic spray-on dress

Coperni created an iconic fashion moment when Bella Hadid closed the design label’s Spring/Summer 2023 show during Paris Fashion Week in a spray-on dress on Friday, September 30, per Vogue.

The model walked towards the middle of the runway, wearing nothing but a G-string and covering her breasts with her arm, after which two men began to spray her body with what appeared to be white paint. In about 15 minutes the men were done with the spray-on paint and it transformed into a dress. A woman then came up and adjusted the sleeves, trimmed off the hem and cut out a slit in the dress.

Once the final adjustments were done, Hadid walked the ramp to show the audience the spray-on dress in action. The fashion moment has since gone viral on the internet.

The show notes shared by The Cut read, “Fashion designers need new materials and fabrics to create products to address evolving lifestyles and consumer demands. In the 21st century we should make it the first time that science and design really march together in close step, illustrating in this way their interdependence.”

Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant are the brains behind the ultra-modern Parisian label Coperni founded in 2019. The duo revealed the secret behind the cutting-edge liquid and the inspiration behind the memorable fashion statement during Paris Fashion Week.

“It’s our celebration of women’s silhouettes from centuries past,” Vaillant said in a preview over Zoom ahead of the show. “And we wanted to update our aesthetic in a more grown-up and scientific way, too,” adds Meyer.

According to Vogue Business, the spray-on technique was developed by Fabrican, a company founded by Spanish fashion designer and scientist Manel Torres. Fabrican liquid contains cotton or synthetic fibres, suspended in a polymer solution that evaporates when it makes contact with the body. After wearing, it can be removed and turned back into a solution, ready for reuse. According to Torres, the fabric feels like suede and can be manipulated like any other. Coperni co-founders have been working with Torres and his team at London’s Bioscience Innovation Centre over the past six months to develop the spray-on, one-shouldered dress.

“The brand is named after Copernicus, the Renaissance-era astronomer, so it’s inspired by science, progress, innovation and technology,” Vaillant told ELLE UK in an interview earlier this year, when they had already experimented with hand-blown glass handbags, antibacterial clothes and XR-shot campaigns.

“It’s our duty as designers to try new things and show a possible future,” says Meyer. “We’re not going to make money on this, but it’s a beautiful moment — an experience that creates emotion.”

“In fashion you always need this dream and this pragmatism. We are creative but of course there are constraints,” says Vaillant. “When we launched Coperni, we really wanted to have fun. We knew we wanted to fulfil a passion and enjoy it. We are not saving lives!”