Coperni Will Cease Operations
Fashion house Coperni is preparing to shut down operations after eight years, with co-founders Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer confirming the difficult decision in a personal statement sent to members of the press and retail partners on Wednesday.
The announcement follows months of financial and legal challenges involving Tomorrow Group, the brand’s majority shareholder and exclusive distributor since 2019. Coperni entered receivership in June as Vaillant and Meyer attempted to separate the label from the fashion development platform following a prolonged dispute.
“Unfortunately, despite all our efforts, no solution could be found, and we have decided, with great sadness, to stop Coperni’s operations,” the founders wrote. Reflecting on the brand’s eight-year journey, they described the experience as extraordinary and expressed pride in everything they had built.
On June 11, a Paris commercial court approved Coperni’s request for court protection, placing the company into receivership. At the time, Vaillant explained that the business had faced considerable financial pressure after Tomorrow allegedly stopped making payments owed to partners and suppliers for several months.
The legal proceedings were initially intended to give the label an opportunity to continue operating, protect its employees and establish a path forward. However, efforts to resolve the dispute and regain control of the business ultimately proved unsuccessful.
The conflict also affected Coperni’s fashion calendar. The founders withdrew from Paris Fashion Week in March as tensions escalated and subsequently remained absent from the Fall 2027 season following the receivership proceedings.
The developments came as Tomorrow underwent a change in ownership. In March, the group was acquired by Progetto 11, the holding company behind e-commerce platform The Level Group. The transaction also marked the departure of Tomorrow’s previous shareholders, including founder and CEO Stefano Martinetto and investment firm Three Hills Capital Partners.
Throughout its run, Coperni established itself as one of fashion’s more experimental labels, becoming recognized for its intersection of technology, innovation and contemporary design. The brand generated international attention through unconventional runway presentations, including a show at Disneyland Paris featuring Kylie Jenner in a princess-inspired gown and a memorable performance in which model Bella Hadid had a dress spray-painted directly onto her body.
Although the closure marks the end of Coperni in its current form, Vaillant and Meyer suggested that their creative ambitions remain far from over. In their statement, the designers reflected on the possibilities ahead, writing that there was “still so much we want to explore and reinvent.”
For now, the announcement brings an unexpected end to a label that carved out a distinctive place in contemporary luxury fashion.
By Donovan Moore
D.M. Fashion Book
Photos: Coperni
