KEY TAKEAWAYS
- •Coperni founders Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer announced the brand will cease operations
- •The label had been in receivership since a Paris commercial court ruling on June 11
- •The conflict centered on Tomorrow London Group, Coperni's majority shareholder and exclusive distributor since 2019
- •The founders skipped Paris Fashion Week in March and the fall 2027 season
- •Tomorrow was bought in March by Progetto 11, the holding company behind The Level Group
Coperni is coming to an end. In a personal statement sent to press and retailers on Wednesday, cofounders Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer confirmed that the Paris label will stop operating after months of financial and legal uncertainty.
The founders said they had tried everything to save the business but that no workable solution emerged. They described the decision as a sad one, while looking back on the brand's eight years as an extraordinary run they remain proud of.
A Long Dispute With Tomorrow London
The trouble came to a head in June, when Coperni entered receivership as the founders tried to separate the brand from Tomorrow London Group. The fashion development platform had been Coperni's majority shareholder and exclusive distributor since 2019.
A Paris commercial court approved the brand's request for court protection on June 11. At that point Vaillant explained that the company was under serious financial pressure, because Tomorrow had stopped paying money owed to partners and suppliers for several months. He said the procedure was meant to let the label keep creating, protect its staff and secure its future.
A look from Coperni's spring 2026 ready-to-wear collection, shown during Paris Fashion Week.
Empty Slots on the Paris Calendar
The founders were determined to take back control of the label, and that stance had visible consequences. They withdrew from Paris Fashion Week in March while the conflict was unfolding, and once the brand was in receivership they also stayed away from the fall 2027 season.
Meanwhile, Tomorrow was going through changes of its own. In March, the company was acquired by Progetto 11, the holding company of e-commerce platform The Level Group. The deal removed Tomorrow's earlier shareholders, including founder and chief executive Stefano Martinetto and Three Hills Capital Partners.
The Spectacle Coperni Leaves Behind
Vaillant and Meyer built Coperni's reputation on a fascination with technology and a willingness to rethink what a fashion show could be. Among their most talked-about moments was a presentation at Disneyland Paris, where Kylie Jenner appeared in a princess-style gown.
Another unforgettable stunt featured Bella Hadid, who was sprayed with a liquid fabric on stage until she was wearing a dress, turning the creation of a garment into live performance.
In closing, the founders suggested their creative drive has not run out. They said there is still plenty they want to explore and reinvent, even though it will no longer happen under the Coperni name.
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Claire Whitmore has spent more than a decade tracking the pulse of global fashion, from the ateliers of Paris to the showrooms of New York. She covers emerging designers, heritage houses, and the business forces quietly reshaping what luxury means today.
