In a label first, Paris-based Coperni has launched a vegan leather bag in collaboration with actress Maisie Williams. The new bag is made from apple leather.
Inspired by Coperni’s signature Swipe Bag, Williams says the use of apples signify hope of a more sustainable future. Coperni designers Arnaud Vaillant and Sebastien Meyer, agree.
“Coperni and I have been quietly working on our collaboration for some time and I’m so proud and excited to finally share what we have created together,” the 24-year-old Game of Thrones star said in a statement. “The bags are made from apple leather and I hope will inspire more people to both shop and produce with materials that contribute towards a more sustainable future.”
The move comes as Coperni, which launched in 2013, has been increasing its sustainability efforts over the last year. It decreased its supply chain to improve traceability and has prioritized natural fibers, including hemp, in its recent SS22 collection. Last year, the brand donated laptops to children in Nicaragua via sales of its Resort 21 pre-collection, “Future of Love.”
“Buyers liked the fact that there was one strong message.” Meyer told Vogue: “the goal of Coperni is to take time, to find our own… not system, but to go where it’s healthier for the brand.”
This commitment extends to the apple leather bags, which are free of synthetic chemicals, and use apple waste as a leather base. The bags are laser cut. Each bag also comes with a removable strap and five customizable pins modeled after fruit label stickers that often leave a sticky residue on apples.
Maisie Williams x sustainability
“Maisie is a real inspiration. From her personality to her various commitments, she is the voice of a generation,” Vaillant and Meyer said. “Actress, filmmaker, producer, environmentalist. She embodies the strong values of a diverse, innovative, and responsible future. It was extremely stimulating to co-create these sustainable and playful Coperni bags together!”
Williams partnered with H&M in April, becoming the label’s first sustainability ambassador and appearing as its avatar in Animal Crossing.
“H&M reached out and expressed that they wanted to make serious changes within their company and work towards a more circular fashion loop,” Williams told Vogue. “It’s important for corporations to take that leap [so] I was so curious. After I was able to sit down with some of the team at H&M and hear more about their concrete goals and what they’re planning to do, I realized it wasn’t this pipe dream. It’s something real that they’re dedicated to implementing.”
Coperni and Williams say the bag design inspiration came from apples used in pop culture. But it also took cues from forest ecosystems like tree moss. The brand has been looking at ways to innovate around sustainability, particularly with a nod to its French roots.
“[W]e want to keep innovating and researching for sustainable concepts and become a very techno-chic French brand that people know,” Vaillant told Ten Magazine in 2019. “It’s important to stick to our roots so we won’t go into like crazy prints. Instead, we will keep to our strengths and voilà.”
The collection features two versions of the Swipe Bag: a Crossbody and a Mini Crossbody version both in silver or berry red. The bags go on sale Monday.
