During Paris Fashion Week, fashion brand Coperni had robotic dogs walk down the runway with models. Coperni fashion shows have a history of doing outrageous performances to show off clothes. They are known for the “spray on dress” done with Bella Hadid in 2022 to show off their summer line as well as a solid gold bag and a glass version of their “swipe bag” sported by celebrities such as Doja Cat and Kylie Jenner. While the stunts they do with shows are mesmerizing, it begs the question, does Coperni need stunts like these to stay relevant?

Coperni is a French women’s clothing brand based in Paris, France. It was created in 2013 by Sebastian Meyer and Arnuad Vaillant. It is considered a luxury brand, due to the high prices and the market of consumers they draw in. Meyer’s goal is not just to make clothing, but to create pieces of true design focusing on the process of how the pieces are created. Vaillant’s goal is to make things that are not only beautiful, but wearable. Combining their views, they create impressive designer pieces that blend technology with fashion. 

Despite Vaillant’s goal of pieces being beautiful and wearable, they are far from that. The pieces are not affordable to the masses, and are fairly bland looking. They are mostly neutral tones and look like pieces that could be found either in a nice department store or a thrift store. Some pieces stand out, but not much more than other fashion brands. The only thing that makes Coperni special is their incorporation of technology in their shows.     

Coperni collaborated with Boston Dynamics, a company that makes robotic dogs, also known as “Spot.” These dogs have gone viral before, with videos of them surfacing on YouTube in 2019. Videos show them jumping rope, running on treadmills, falling over, and more. They are known for their ability to navigate terrain, hold up to 14 kilograms of weight, and record data. These dogs have also done entertainment before, having worked with Cirque Du Soleil. The dogs are ridiculously expensive, costing over a minimum of $200,000. 

The idea of meshing technology with fashion is smart— it grabs the attention of the media which hence popularized the brand. While the things they have ventured into are amazing sights, it says more about technology than fashion, and many of their stunts are not practical for buyers to wear. Fashion design should be standalone and speak for itself, without performances to make it popular. If Coperni’s designs were good enough, they would become popular without the support of going viral with innovative fashion shows.