The indie fashion scene needs strategies, not more money The Coperni case is just the most emblematic of many others

If high tide lifts all boats, low tide is the first to run smaller ones aground. In short, this is what has been happening in fashion over the past few weeks, as the luxury crisis has begun to claim victims among the most fragile links in the food chain: independent brands. And if global giants such as LVMH and Kering have their own (and not insignificant) headaches, imagine what happens to those without the same financial backing. The most prominent case in recent weeks is undoubtedly that of Coperni, which has more or less definitively shut down. But it is not the only one.

Charles de Vilmorin has also entered judicial liquidation, while Vaillant Studio, founded by designer Alice Vaillant, is undergoing restructuring proceedings. Shortly before that, Hungarian label Nanushka announced that it had significantly scaled back its operations due to mounting debt and losses. In recent months, Martine Rose had also experienced serious production problems, once again because of the same operators behind Coperni; Sunnei entered judicial liquidation in May, while Bally is now caught between moratorium proceedings in Switzerland, provisional insolvency administration in Germany and the closure of its historic factory in Ticino.

These are different stories, including from a legal standpoint, but they share several common features: all these brands have attracted attention, made headlines and secured a place on official fashion week calendars. Yet they have failed to turn this cultural capital into a healthy business. To understand why, we need to look at the common causes behind their many difficulties.