Paris Fashion Week has once again captured the world's attention, this time with the unveiling of Coperni's "Air Swipe Bag" for their Fall/Winter 2024-2025 collection. This accessory, fashioned primarily from air, was spearheaded by the creative duo Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant.

The highlight of this innovation is the involvement of Cyprus-based scientist Dr. Ioannis Michaloudis, bringing a touch of the island to the global fashion stage. The Greek Professor, who specializes in researching and creating items from silica aerogel, currently holds the position of Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at the American University of Cyprus, which is based in Larnaca.

Mr. Michaloudis is an academic, visual artist, and researcher internationally acknowledged as one of the leaders in Art & Science and the first-ever creator and investigator on the application of NASA’s nanomaterial silica aerogel in Fine Arts.

The Air Swipe Bag is crafted from 99% air and 1% silica aerogel, a nanomaterial renowned for being the lightest solid on Earth. This collaboration with Dr. Michaloudis has led to the creation of a bag that not only pushes the boundaries of design but also underscores the potential of sustainable fashion. Weighing a mere 33 grams, the bag's ethereal presence on the runway, showcased by model Leon Damme, left the audience in awe.

The use of silica aerogel, initially employed by NASA to collect stardust, speaks volumes about the potential of reusing space-age technology in everyday life. The translucent, egg-shaped clutch symbolizes a merger of aesthetics and functionality, proving that even the most seemingly impossible materials can be transformed into high-fashion items.

The brand's journey of continuous innovation, previously marked by the likes of a blown-glass bag and a dress painted live on Bella Hadid, now takes a leap into the realm of "absurd chic" with the Air Swipe. The bag's ability to withstand extreme temperatures and pressures, all while maintaining its delicate appearance, is a tribute to the ingenuity of modern material science.

Dr. Ioannis Michaloudis' career began in Paris, at Sorbonne University, where he presented his thesis on Visual Arts in 1998 on the “Elastic Arts”. After receiving a Fulbright Award, in 2001 he undertook postdoctoral research on art and nanotechnology at MIT where he started his research on the application of silica aerogel in fine art projects. He had a solo exhibit in the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens and in 2007 he won the Golden Lighthouse in the 24th Biennale of Alexandria, Egypt. He is the author of copious journal papers and two book chapters and he has been invited to more than twenty international art and science exhibitions and conferences. 

Dr. Michaloudis was coordinating the post-graduate program in Visual Arts at Charles Darwin University, Australia. He is an adjunct professor at the International Space University in France and a Research Associate at NCSR Demokritos in Greece. In 2018 he had exhibited at the MIT Museum for the retrospective exhibition “50 years CAVS”. In 2020 he had collaborated with Boucheron Paris for the creation of the first-ever high jewelry “Goutte de Ciel”.