Additive manufacturing company Rapid Liquid Print (RLP) has collaborated with French fashion brand Coperni to create a unique handbag using rapid liquid 3D-printing technology. Presented during Coperni’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection, the Ariel Swipe bag is made by piping liquid silicone into a gel suspension, which holds the material in place until it solidifies.
The technology behind this process, known as rapid liquid printing, was developed by researchers from MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab. This technique allows for the creation of intricate and large-scale silicone designs, bypassing the typical limitations of traditional 3D printing, which often requires layer-by-layer deposition and structural supports.
“RLP’s innovative process eliminates gravity as a design challenge, allowing us to create geometries that would otherwise be impossible with conventional 3D-printing methods,” explained RLP co-founder Schendy Kernizan. The Ariel Swipe bag’s intricate form exemplifies this capability, highlighting the potential for more complex, large-scale designs to be produced rapidly.
Combining Fashion and Technology
Compared to other additive manufacturing methods, rapid liquid printing can reduce the production time to mere minutes, although the silicone must still undergo a curing process. This method also enables non-planar printing and does not involve the use of toxic chemicals, allowing the final product to be handled immediately after curing.
The Ariel Swipe bag was introduced at Coperni’s Paris Fashion Week show, hosted at Disneyland Paris, alongside a collection inspired by Disney themes and characters. The bag’s name, “Ariel,” comes from the character in The Little Mermaid, and its design is reminiscent of Coperni’s viral Air Swipe bag, known for being made from 99 percent air.
A Vision for the Future of Fashion
This collaboration marks RLP’s first partnership with an international fashion brand, but the company sees this as only the beginning. “We believe RLP will continue to inspire innovative approaches to design and manufacturing, leading to the creation of truly unique products,” said Kernizan.
With rapid liquid printing, Coperni demonstrates how technology and fashion can intersect, creating cutting-edge designs that push the boundaries of what’s possible in modern manufacturing.