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Coperni unveils new air bag that has gone viral
As part of their Fall/Winter 2024 collection, Parisian brand Coperni showcased a bag made of the lightest solid material on planet Earth at Paris Fashion Week
If you thought Parisian brand Coperni’s Spring/Summer 2023 runway move last year was iconic when model Bella Hadid got a slip on dress spray painted on her in real time at Paris Fashion Week. You are mistaken!
As part of this year’s Fall/Winter collection, Coperni showcased the Air Swipe bag, which is composed of the lightest solid material on planet Earth that has caught the attention of fashionistas in Paris. Consisting of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s nanomaterial silica aerogel, the bag is composed of 99% air and 1% glass. Weighing 33 grams and developed by professor Ioannis Michaloudis, it aligns with the brand - creating viral original and innovative products while also pushing the boundaries of fashion. Intersecting science, design and technology, the egg-shaped transparent clutch can apparently “hold an iPhone”, according to the brand.
Sharing her thoughts about it, designer Rina Dhaka says, “With today’s new digital age, I am glad there are new innovations that people want to see, and the designer who will make something breakthrough will always come through. I think with this new bag, the idea was to create something lightweight and out of space material to bring a science meets fashion angle. So, when something like this happens - it’s refreshing. I’m glad innovation and new design, however small and transparent it may be, is getting attention.”
Boasting of its futuristic and sustainable features, the cloud-like looking lightweight accessory is “the biggest piece to ever be crafted from the nanomaterial”. Before it became fashion’s latest breakthrough, this material was used by NASA to collect stardust, as it has the ability to withstand extreme heat and a pressure of 4000 times its weight. Made in the brand’s signature curved bag silhouette, the bag also grabbed mixed reaction on the internet from fans.
On the other hand, designer Nachiket Barve says, “It’s fantastic to see innovation in fashion. Most materials have changed little or not much for decades. So, to see an amalgamation of fashion and technology is exciting and interesting.”
