Viral spray-on dress: Bella Hadid models for Coperni

The finale of the Coperni runway show during Paris Fashion Week wowed fashion enthusiasts as they witnessed a dress materialize onto supermodel Bella Hadid.  

Developed by Manel Torres, Fabrican is a liquid spray-on fabric dispensed from an aerosol can or spray gun that dries into a non-woven textile. He explained his inspiration for the material was silly string.  

The liquid fiber also has healthcare and industrial applications. His TedTalk from 2013 demonstrated Fabrican being used to create a medical cast and car interior. 

Coperni claimed this performance was to exemplify a “futuristic fusion of science and fashion,” according to the NYTStyle’s Instagram. 

Hadid stepped onto a lit platform wearing only underwear and elegantly shifted her arms as two Fabrican employees used spray guns to dress her. 

As the liquid evaporated, a Coperni designer began to peel back the edges of the instant fabric around her collar bone to create an off-shoulder silhouette. After the designer cut a thigh-high slit as a final touch, Hadid started to walk down the runway. 

  The spray-on dress gained a lot of attention on social media and went viral. 

“I thought it was cool. It was very interesting and hadn’t been done before,” Hannah Cogen, a student, said about the viral video. “Usually, fashion shows are boring so it was definitely fun to watch.” 

Performance art has been a memorable moment for runway shows in the past as well. Many people are comparing the performance to Alexander Mcqueen’s Spring 1999 collection, a runway show that showcased model Shalom Harlow on a rotating platform as her voluminous white dress was spray painted green and black.  

“Thank you for all the love. I am still speechless,” Hadid said as she celebrated the experience on Instagram.