Coperni said "I see your Tamagotchi & I raise you Ray-Ban Meta Smartglasses!"
This week's All Things Fashion Tech Newsroom: Millions raised by textile innovators, plus Vogue's new Vogue Vintage Market announcement.
Coperni unveiled its version of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses at Paris Fashion Week
Vogue announced their The Vogue Vintage Market
Epoch Biodesign raises $18.3 million
Circ raises $25 million
Coperni is going viral with their Coperni x Tamagotchis
Meta and Ray-Ban Collaborate With Coperni on New Smartglasses
By Marc Bain of Business of Fashion
Meta and Ray-Ban have partnered with Coperni, the French label known for its tech-centric runway presentations, to persuade the fashion crowd that smartglasses are the next hot accessory.
Coperni will debut its take on the Ray-Ban Meta glasses on Sunday at its Paris Fashion Week show, which references the 1990s-era LAN — or local area network — parties where gamers would gather to physically link up their computers and play video games. The brand reworked Ray-Ban’s classic Wayfarer with grey mirrored lenses and a semi-transparent black frame to show off the internal hardware from Meta.
The glasses will go on sale Monday for $549, or a bit more than the roughly $330 that a typical pair of Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarers costs, and only 3,600 pairs will be available. Creative director Sébastien Meyer called the design “a bit nostalgic,” saying it reminded him of Apple’s old translucent iMacs.
“We didn’t want to do something crazy,” added Coperni chief executive Arnaud Vaillant. “There is something also very important at Coperni, even if we do crazy fashion shows and everything, there is always this idea of wearability.”
Attention Vintage Heads: The Vogue Vintage Market Is Coming!
By Lilah Ramzi of Vouge
Mark your calendars, and ready your credit cards! On March 29 in New York City, Vogue and Gigi Hadid will host a one-day-only shopping extravaganza: the Vogue Vintage Market. Imagine the ultimate fashion stoop sale, packed with hundreds of editorial-worthy vintage and archival pieces donated by Vogue friends and contributors, as well as items sourced from eBay. The event is open to the public with RSVP and donation in the Vogue app, and 100% of proceeds will support those impacted by the recent Los Angeles fires.
To fill the market with vintage treasure, we called upon some of the industry’s best dressed—Anok Yai, Emma Chamberlain, Hamish Bowles, Julia Sarr-Jamois, Kaia Gerber, Paloma Elsesser, Tabitha Simmons, Tonne Goodman, and Gigi Hadid—to sleuth through eBay and curate their must-haves.
Plus, we spun the Vogue Rolodex and asked cover girls, street style stars, and top design houses (Louis Vuitton! Khaite! Coach! Tory Burch!) to donate pieces from their very own wardrobes and collections. This is your chance to get your hands on style history, from graphic tees straight from Cindy Crawford’s closet (talk about provenance) to the Prada dress that inspired Lauren Santo Domingo to launch runway trunk shows on Moda Operandi to a Self-Portrait dress immortalized in one of Anna Weyant’s paintings. Plus, you’ll find pieces from the closets of Martha Stewart, Karlie Kloss, Alex Consani, Vittoria Ceretti, and many more.
If you can’t make it to New York to shop the sale located at SoHo’s Roll & Hill showroom, you can still partake. An online Vogue Vintage Market curation, teeming with handpicked gems unearthed on eBay, will also be launched on Vogue.com. And if you happen to be in London, British Vogue is hosting its very own sale.
Shop the Vogue Vintage Market to own a piece of fashion history while making a meaningful impact—because the only thing more timeless than vintage is a piece with a story worth telling.
Epoch Biodesign Raises $18.3 Million to Use Enzymes to Tackle Hard-to-Recycle Plastic
By ESG Today Writing Staff
Biorecycling startup Epoch Biodesign annouced that it has raised $18.3M in a Series A funding round, with proceeds to be used to scale its solution to use natural enzymes to break down difficult to recycle plastics .
Founded in 2019, London-based Epoch utilizes AI, biochemistry, materials science and process engineering to develop enzymes that can break down materials such as PET, nylon, and polyester at low temperatures, requiring less energy and eliminating the need for the toxic chemicals used in other recycling methods. The resulting materials can be used for the manufacture of new products, replacing the virgin material that would otherwise be used. The company said that its goal is to make recycled plastic more economical than virgin plastic.
Currently, the company has over 40 partnerships across the performance apparel, luxury fashion, automotive, and industrial textiles industries.
Epoch said that the new capital will be used to build its first biorecycling facility and expand its enzyme library to process more types of waste.
Jacob Nathan, Founder and CEO of Epoch Biodesign, said:
“We’re proving that plastic waste isn’t just a problem to solve – it’s a valuable resource waiting to be unlocked. Using the molecular precision of enzymes at an industrial scale, we’re building the solution set to make all plastics recyclable and doing so at a competitive price. This is what real circularity looks like.”
In addition to the investment, Epoch also announced that it is working with Inditex through a multi-year joint development agreement in order to ensure the technology’s ability to meet their rigorous performance standards.
Óscar García Maceiras, CEO of Inditex, said:
“Epoch’s innovative and promising technology has impressive potential to revolutionize blended textile recycling. This investment strengthens our commitment to advancing an innovative, circular model and driving the industry’s transition toward low-impact materials.”
Circ Raises $25M in Oversubscribed Round led by Taranis
By Alexandra Harrell of Sourcing Journal
Circ just closed its latest investment round.
The textile-to-textile recycler raised a cool $25 million in oversubscribed funding, led by asset management company Taranis and its Carbon Ventures fund, with continued support from existing strategic investors, including Inditex and global materials science firm Avery Dennison.
The Fiber Club creator had secured $25 million two years ago during its 2023 Series B extension funding round, with participation from Taranis as well as the Zara parent brand, among others. In 2022, Circ raised more than $30 million in Series B funding in a round led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, while the 2020 Series A round—which raised $8 million—was led by Patagonia’s investment arm, Tin Shed Ventures.
This latest funding, Circ said, will build on the “major technical commercial progress” the polycotton textile waste pulp producer made over the past 18 months, as the additional funds will help “fuel” the Mara Hoffman partner’s push to scale its recycling technology as the startup works to “transform” the industry’s waste problem.
“This chapter of Circ’s journey—scaling textile recycling to an industrial level—requires that we build on our proven technology with world-class engineering, operations, and strategic investment from mission-aligned partners,” said Peter Majeranowski, CEO of Circ. “Taranis brings exactly that. Their industrial expertise, paired with our innovation, positions Circ to accelerate the transition to a circular fashion economy.”
Coperni x Tamagotchi Swipe Case Gives the Digital Pet a Stylish Makeover
By Bill Smith of TecheBlog
You’ve seen the Air Swipe Bag and CD Player Swipe Bag, now check out the Coperni x Tamagotchi Swipe Case, which gives the digital pet a stylish makeover, literally. Available in navy blue, black and silver colors, users can raise the digital pet like they would the original keychain game.
Despite its new looks, the core concept remains the same: a digital “pet” housed in a palm-sized device that requires constant care. Users still need to feed, clean, play with, and discipline their virtual pet, or it would “die” from neglect. There’s no word yet on if we’ll see this item in stores anytime soon, as it was just revealed during the Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2025 show.
should I get the coperni x ray bans…
the love for vintage via vogue is SO smart.
Also, did you see the prosthetic boobs on the PFW runway by Duran Lantink???
I loved Coperni’s step into the gamer world for their show—very trend-forward