Like me, you may have also woken up to the news today that French fashion brand Coperni have released a new athleisure line. It's called the C+ line – Paloma Elsesser is fronting the campaign online – and it supposedly is "probiotic infused".
Needless to say, the RUSSH Editors immediately shared the link, trailed by a plethora lot of "???" and "wait, what does this mean?" messages. So if you're also wondering "what on earth is a probiotic-infused fabric?" then we'll break it down below...
Coperni’s innovation
Known for headline-grabbing stunts like Bella Hadid’s spray-on dress or robotic dogs on the runway, Coperni has once again turned heads with a new experiment in biotech fashion. For Spring Summer 2026, the Paris-based label introduces the C+ collection, coined “carewear,” which aims to merge wellness with wardrobe staples.
More than a gimmick, this drop focuses on function: leggings, bodysuits, and tops that claim to deliver active skincare benefits directly to the wearer.
Designers Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer describe the vision behind C+ as clothing that “becomes an ally, a second skin infused with kindness and intelligence.” Unlike purely aesthetic garments, these pieces aim to fit into a broader movement of conscious innovation, where what’s invisible—like how a fabric interacts with the body—matters as much as silhouette or style.
How does probiotic clothing work?
Coperni’s C+ release places the brand at the frontier of fashion-meets-wellness. With predecessors like Skims’ “collagen yarn” wrap, Baythe Swim's "Collagen Motion Wer" or PH5’s hyaluronic sleepwear, skincare-infused textiles are becoming more than novelty.
Coperni partnered with Swiss textile biotech pioneer HeiQ to embed a patented symbiotic blend of probiotics and prebiotics into a four-way stretch fabric. Each gram contains up to 140,000 CFU/g of live, skin-friendly bacteria encapsulated in a biobased matrix.
When worn, the fabric’s contact with body heat and movement activates the gradual release of these microbes onto the skin’s surface. According to Coperni, this process helps rebalance the skin microbiome, reinforce natural barriers, and support self-repair mechanisms—all while you move through your day.
What's the scepticism?
Skepticism around probiotic-infused clothing stems from both science and precedent.
While probiotics are well-documented for gut health, their stability and effectiveness when transferred from fabric to skin remain uncertain, with dermatologists noting that outcomes can vary depending on each person’s microbiome.
Consumers are also wary after cases like Lorna Jane, which was fined $5 million in 2021 for falsely marketing “anti-virus” activewear during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To address inevitable skepticism, Coperni and HeiQ worked with Dr. Robin Temmerman at HeiQ Life Sciences to develop and dermatologically test the technology. The results confirmed the fabric is safe for human skin. The beneficial effects remain potent for about 40 washes before gradually diminishing, though the brand says performance still continues beyond that point.
But although Coperni’s partnership with HeiQ includes dermatological testing to confirm safety, many question whether the benefits are truly proven – or if this is simply fashion’s latest wellness gimmick.
