Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant—Formerly of Courrèges—Are Relaunching Their First Collection, Coperni
Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant’s tenure at Courrèges was short-lived, but it was marked by innovation. At the start, the duo rejected “total looks” in favor of compelling pieces with everyday appeal—notably, neat little jackets and minis in the brand’s signature crinkly vinyl. By the end, they had scrapped the idea of the traditional (and tired) fashion show, in favor of photographs of friends wearing items from the line that they had styled with their own clothes. The duo’s clever strategies breathed fresh life into the house founder’s Space Age fashions; during their tenure, the label felt at once connected to and untethered from its past—and firmly planted in the real world.
Prior to Courrèges, Meyer and Vaillant had launched a collection called Coperni Femme, after the astronomer Copernicus (the one who said it wasn’t Earth that was the center of the universe, but the Sun). They won ANDAM’s First Collection Prize in 2014, and produced two seasons before shutting its doors to take the high-profile heritage gig. In late February, they plan to relaunch Coperni (minus the Femme—you’ll see why in a moment) with a Paris fashion week presentation that will bear a strong resemblance to their final outing for Courrèges. Expect photos, a video element, a clothing installation (Meyer and Vaillant will encourage you to touch the garments), and speeches.
As for the look and feel of 2019 Coperni, Meyer, who is the designer of the duo, said, “We’re trying to find a good mix between something techno and something chic. If it’s new in the shape or the fabric, it’s always wearable.” Vaillant, who handles the business side of things, added: “We’re also going to lower the price, which is super important for us, because we want all our own friends to be able to wear it. We were a bit high in the past.” The big difference between Coperni then and Coperni now is that some of the pieces will be unisex. “It’s focused on tailoring, on shirts and pants, so it makes sense,” said Vaillant.
Meyer and Vaillant are relaunching Coperni with Stefano Martinetto, CEO of Tomorrow London, a business accelerator and development partner for emerging and established fashion talent, whom they met at ANDAM in 2014. According to a release, in addition to shareholding, Tomorrow will provide structural assets to Coperni, including an Italian factory and strong commercial tools. “Sébastian and Arnaud brilliantly mix incredibly exciting and deep digital knowledge with the principles of traditional craftsmanship and I love that. I met them first at ANDAM and I am thrilled they are turning their entrepreneurial creativity to their own business. We are honored to be partnering with them,” Martinetto said via email.
The relaunch isn’t the only thing on Meyer and Vaillant’s 2019 agenda. They’re also getting married. “We went very fast, we were very young, Coperni was great, then we went to Courrèges,” said Vaillant, who is 30. Meyer is 29. “But now we just want to do it at our rhythm and enjoy, and bring a lot of soul and pleasure, and to take our time.” We’ll be watching.
