Coperni, the chic Parisian ready-to-wear and accessories brand designed by Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant, is getting the Nordstrom treatment.
Nordstrom opened a Coperni pop-up on the third floor of the New York flagship Wednesday, which will remain open until Nov. 5.
The shop features women’s rtw and accessories, ranging in price from $230 to $1,680. Coperni has established a reputation for blending technical innovation with Parisian refinement.
Vaillant and Meyer, who met as fashion students at Mod’International Paris, cut their teeth at Balenciaga, Chanel and Courrèges, where they were named joint creative directors, before launching their own brand as a futuristic “techno-chic” label. Coperni won ANDAM’s Creative Label Prize in 2014, recognizing the label’s creative and commercial potential, and was also a finalist for the LVMH Prize in 2015.
“We are thrilled to be Coperni’s partner for their first U.S. pop-up and see their concept come to life at Nordstrom NYC,” said Rickie De Sole, women’s fashion director at Nordstrom. “We’re always inspired by their runway shows and love the community that the brand has built. We recently launched Coperni ready-to-wear at Nordstrom and are excited for our customers to have the opportunity to dive deeper into the brand’s world through this shop.”
She noted that Meyer and Vaillant “represent the next generation of French talent, and their collections continue to impress us season after season. And thanks to their viral runway shows — yes, Bella Hadid and the fabricant show — really put the brand on the map globally.”
Last year, a video of Hadid being spray-painted into a liquid dress on the runway went viral. It had a media impact value of $26.3 million, including the $20 million on social media, within the 48 hours that followed Coperni’s spring 2023 show, according to Launchmetrics.
Vailliant, chief executive officer and cofounder of Coperni, said Nordstrom has supported the brand from its early days, first with handbags, and now with rtw.
“It can be difficult sometimes for smaller designer brands to get big opportunities in the U.S. market and Nordstrom has been promoting the brand from early on, giving us the visibility in a very competitive market. We are super thankful for the opportunity and therefore wanted our first pop-up in the U.S., with our new retail concept, in partnership with USM [Haller, a Swiss modular furniture company], to be in New York City with Nordstrom.”
The shop was designed with a minimalist sensibility, complementing Coperni’s cutting-edge style.
De Sole said the collection “resonates with a customer who is excited by new ideas, follows trends and likes to have fun and experiment with their style. There is definitely a youthful attitude but also an established, charming Parisian flair.”
Vaillant said he wants their designs to reach as many people as possible.
“We love at Coperni to be as inclusive as possible and to speak to as many people as possible. It’s also something we translate in our shows. Coperni is not a snobbish brand. It speaks to everybody. We love to dress both the mother and the daughter,” said Vaillant.
“We have more structured and expensive and elevated pieces, but also fun entry-priced ones for the younger audience,” added Vaillant. “That’s something we really cherish and that also reflects in our distribution. In New York City, for instance, we sell the brand at Bergdorf [Goodman], with more elevated tailoring pieces, at The Webster for more eveningwear feminine pieces, and at Kith for a cool unisex vibe. And of course, at Nordstrom, where we have our biggest assortment which reflects all aspects of the brand.”
Vaillant said he and Meyer enjoy working with people who inspire them. “We love working with the Kardashian/Jenner sisters and their team. Hailey Bieber has also been supporting the brand in such a cool way. Rihanna, Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Bella Hadid, Olivia Rodrigo, Emily Ratajkowski.…We are so grateful to all these amazing women for their support,” Vaillant said.
In addition to retail partners, Coperni also has a large business online with key accounts such as Fwrd and Ssense.
Vaillant anticipates that at Nordstrom, Coperni’s Swipe bag and Heart tote bag will be strong performers. “Hybrid denim trousers, a bestseller since it launched in AW22 [fall 2022], now in a beautiful raw denim for AW23 [fall 2023]. The cargo pants are still a strong trend. The flower gown, also from AW22 [fall 2022], we’re selling beautiful quantities of this dress. Fits all body types, can be super dressy and feminine, but also more casual depending how you style it, and the price point is good ($710). A hybrid oversize tailored jacket — a more relaxed take on tailoring, which is key for Coperni. Beige for AW23 [fall 2023] has been doing really well,” he said.
De Sole said the cult-favorite bags, including the U.F.O., are gaining traction, as well as the emoji dress that Ratajkowski recently wore to one of their shows, and the cutout knits and jackets are expected to be bestsellers.
At the pop-up, there are about 10 bags on display and 21 styles of rtw.
Coperni launched in 2013, but relaunched in its current format in 2019. “So we’re still quote ‘a young brand,’ but the growth has been incredible in the last three years,” said Vaillant.
The brand is currently sold in about 50 countries, with most of Coperni’s mature markets in Europe, including in France, the U.K., Italy, Germany and Spain. “North America and the U.S. in particular has been the fastest-growing market since 2021 and is now our number-one market on our own DTC [direct-to-consumer] website. There’s so much potential still untapped,” said Vaillant. In Asia, Korea is the biggest market. While the Middle East market is still relatively small, the brand has been growing very fast there, he said.
In the long-term, the designers would like to open permanent retail locations in the U.S. “But as Coperni is a relatively new brand, we want to build a strong base rather than expanding too quickly,” Vaillant said. In addition to the Nordstrom pop-up, the brand has one with Boon the Shop in Seoul next week, and has done pop-ups with Selfridges and China Duty Free. A permanent shop-in-shop also just opened at Printemps.
“Corners in departments stores would be the first cornerstone of our retail presence, before moving to stand-alone retail. But our first Coperni stand-alone retail store has to be in Paris,” said Vaillant.
Meyer, creative director and cofounder, said Coperni’s fall collection is “more and more wearable, but always with a strong design element.”
“You can wear them at work, at school, at dinners, at parties. It’s a full cool wardrobe for modern women. There is more balance in the assortment, mix of tailoring, party dresses, denim/casual (which is now key). More shapes, fits and occasion to wear,” Meyer said.
The pop-up is exclusive to Nordstrom NYC, but the collection is available at nordstorm.com and at select Nordstrom shops.