Prada unveils their holiday campaign ‘A Stranger Calls’, which showcases their pieces through a black and white avant-garde narrative. Photographed by Steven Meisel and based on the works of best-selling author Candice Cathy-Williams, the campaign is not one to miss.
The story surrounds four protagonists and one mysterious stranger, set in an isolated villa in Italy. All characters originate from the Prada Universe, starring Freja Beha, Maty Fall, Mao Xiaoxing, Rudolfs Valbergs and Merlijne Schorren.
“Cinema suggests shifting focus and points of emphasis: here, details of Prada accessories are pulled into macro-scale. Like plot-points, or clues to an unknown mystery, they dominate the frame, drawing attention – before Meisel’s lens, they become characters in themselves,” reads the press release.
The spotlight is placed on the new Prada Cleo handbag which was debuted in the Prada Multiple Views SS21 show and featured in the Spring/Summer 2021 womenswear collection.
The Cleo line utilises classical Prada styles to give way to pieces that perfectly coalesce classicism and futurism. The accessories include reworked traditional jewels in silver and gold with tourmaline, and the emblem appearing on a delicate chain, necklaces and chandelier earrings.
“This campaign – and these Prada accessories – explore emotion, intrigue, attraction and, ultimately, desire.” – Prada
For more information about the campaign and the collection visit Prada.com
This week Prada released their Linea Rossa FW20 campaign, featuring another selection of clean-cut designs for the sportswear inspired line. All the clothing is made from Extreme Tex – Prada’s innovative textile made with eco-sustainable technology. This material also ensures optimal insulation and features waterproof properties.
The campaign incorporates clothing with stark contrasts by utilising black as the base, with only tinctures of colour. There are select pieces that include bright neon colours such as the Tec Rec Cropped Puffer Jacket. Other articles include a bucket hat, Polarius sneakers and sweatshirts, all complete with the signature red strip. This line is reminiscent of Prada’s releases from the late 90s’ and early 00’s, now with a futuristic spin.
A resurgence in 90’s fashion and a push for ecological alternatives has been propped up as an important concern, especially for the incoming generation. The FW20 release features 20-year-old actor Yara Shahidi, EXO member Chanyeol Park and Chinese actress Jin Chen. All images were photographed by Renell Medrano and creative direction under Ferdinando Verderi. View the full collection at PRADA.com
After months of anticipation , yesterday afternoon , the moment many of us have all been waiting for finally arrived. The debut of Prada’s first collection since their announcement of Raf Simons’ appointment as co-creative director alongside Miuccia Prada. The SS21 collection was presented digitally and it seems to have ticked all the boxes of what one would imagine a Miuccia x Raf Simons collection would look like. Considering the current circumstances amidst the pandemic, a lot of the collection was shaped by the social restrictions , but the notion behind it was the idea of uniformity. The collection touched on different definitions of what a uniform should look or feel like , both through the eyes of Raf Simons as well as well as Prada being visual representations of identity as well as a representation of shared values.
Each look throughout the collection felt carefully constructed, with elements of both designers being quite evident. It was like a painting of some sort — Miuccia gave one brush stroke, followed by Raf’s splash of paint which all came together to create a picture that was not extravagant or questionable , but rather solid and finished. There were pleated skirts paired blouses with holes, hoodies paired with pleated skirts and kitten heels and many other other elements that had evident traces of both designers. Many pieces throughout the collections are held in hand , or drawn around the body, artworks by Peter de Potter one of Raf’s long time collaborators were transformed into prints but it also saw a revisiting or some of Prada’s archival prints. This collection felt like a perfect harmony, orchestrated with equal effort, perfectly setting the ground for that which is to come .
Last weekend Prada officially announced the renovation of their ground floor boutique at the Harrods department store in London with a transformation that aligns more with their Milanese heritage. The revamped space features a black and white chequered floor, in reference to the historic Prada store in Milan, as well as 3D covering with graphics that speak to the historic prints of the house, which are paired their signature shade of boutique green.
To mark this special occasion , the house also scheduled the launch of an exclusive Prada spazzolato leather handbag , which was first seen in their SS21 digital presentation not too long ago. Carefully crafted in spazzolato leather , the accessory comes in two styles and will be sold in black , white , orchid and aqua.
Earlier this week, Selfridges marked the launch of their new global initiative Project Earth in collaboration with Prada as they inaugurated the new Prada Re-Nylon collection. Presented in the Selfridges Corner Shop in London, the collection is Prada’s line of sustainable products originally launched in 2019, which were all made from unique regenerated nylon obtained through a recycling and purification process of plastic waste from oceans, fishing nets & textile fibre waste. In their commitment to protect the environment, the Prada Group has created a line up of projects with objectives of saving energy and promoting practices of sustainability within the luxury sector.
This latest collaboration with Selfridges is solid proof of such, as they offer up a stylish selection of pieces including boots, backpacks, jumpers, skirts, buckets hats and others. The Corner Shop is an immersive experience of this sustainable Prada world with screening of short films produced in collaboration with National Geographic displayed on scenographic multiscreen large scale arches and the surfaces covered in video wallpaper showcasing the macro animations of natural elements as well as the PRADA Re-Nylon industrial process.
“The Prada Re-Nylon project brings circularity to life by teaming creativity with sustainable product innovation in the Selfridges Corner Shop. Prada brings vision to all elements of its business – sustainability is no exception – I am delighted that through this unique concept developed for our sustainability initiative Project Earth, we are able to share that vision with our customers,” explained Selfridges Executive Buying & Merchandising Director Sebstian Manes. The Prada Re-Nylon experience is currently at Selfridges Corner Shop in London.
Last week on the occasion of Milan Digital Fashion Week, Prada put their best virtual feet forward with a presentation entitled “Multiple Views SS21 – The Show That Never Happened.” The digital show — which is allegedly Miuccia Prada’s last solo show before the Raf Simons partnership — took the form of a 10 minute live video, that showcase the SS21 collection interpreted through the lenses of 5 different creatives, being Terence Nance, Joanna Piotrowska, Martine Syms, Juergen Teller and Willy Vanderperre. Each artist created a film that showcased a different view of the Prada collection and at large , the Prada ideology and identity, which served as a representation of flexibility and multiplicity, in a time where many are not able to commune, a different kind of community is then established.
Throughout the collection, this season the house opted to focus on simple garments with use, value and longevity as the key themes. The collection is constructed around the quintessence of the house of Prada, its meaning, how clothes are worn , where and why. The meaning of multiplicity and compound uses , as paradoxes through sportswear, formality, classic and futurism are explored. The collection was co-ed and for menswear the silhouette was sharp, narrow and fitted , while for women couture volumes and treatments were explored. Leathers, cottons, taffeta , nylon , and other innovative fabrics are tailored with the flexibility to tell the stories that the wearer wants them to tell. Overall the SS21 collection is a much needed dose of simplicity during a time of chaos, the type of simplicity that can bend to whatever way you choose and embrace complexity yet still avoid chaos.
Prada’s latest campaign for Pre-Fall 2020 was crafted with the intention of blurring the lines between reality and digital and re-imagining a new idea of intimacy during these very particular times. The campaign was shot in London back in February by photographer David Sims and recently digitally painted in New York.
The images and campaign films combine hand-painted watercolors with digital artistry. The silhouettes of each look and their seams and patterns, become ‘paint by numbers’ frames for energetic explorations of color – a dozen Prada-ist shades of Celeste blue, pink, yellow, orange, green and more.
“Blurring lines between the photographic and the painterly, between technology and humanity, it is a subconscious echo of our moment. The joy of color via the joy of technology – both a means of communicating a message, immediately. Ultimately, that message is positivity – a fantasy, painted in Prada colors,” read the brand’s campaign notes. For more info on the Pre-Fall ’20 collection, visit Prada.com
In the midst of the current global health crisis, Italian fashion house Prada is set to launch a conversation series to help us deal with our quarantine woes. Prada Possible Conversation is a series of live discussions between thinkers, cultural arbiters and fashion insiders across the world in an effort to piece together a community of collective thoughts and thinkers. Set to take place on Prada’s instagram page, guests will be engaging in real time conversations that the house promises to be enlightening , engaging and maybe even revelatory. Guests will include personnel from all sectors of the creative industries including fashion, art , architecture, film, literature etc.
The headliner of the series is scheduled for this evening April 14, 2020 at 6pm CET, and will feature Pamela Goblin, author curator & Artistic Director of Jacquard x Google Arts Culture Residency and Alexander Fury, fashion features director of Another Magazine and Men’s Critic of the Financial Times. The duo will be having a conversation under the theme, ‘Fashion in Times of Crises’ and will also allow for questions from their audience.
This and all the upcoming Prada Possible Conversations will result in a donation from Prada to UNSECO.
The past few weeks amidst the current health climate have been difficult for all. The necessary measures that have been put into place regarding the containment of the COVID-19 virus as local governments and health care workers fight tirelessly against rising death tolls has had an impact on all industries. The global fashion industry has of course had its major set backs with major cruise shows like Gucci, Dior, Prada & Chanel cancelling, production halting and general stocks that have been dropping. It would be an understatement to say the industry has had it’s fir share of loss amidst the crisis, especially considering the European country with the larger number of cases, is fashion and production hub — Italy . However, at the moment , many of these fashion houses and conglomerates are choosing to momentarily put aside these losses to focus on the task at hand — aiding the governments and healthcare officials in defeating the virus in the best way possible.
In Italy — where the blow has been the hardest, many have stepped up to the plate, Prada donated two complete intensive care and resuscitation units, and launched the production of 80,000 medical overalls and 110,000 masks for healthcare personnel following a request in the Tuscany region; Gucci also responded to the call with a donation of 1.1million surgical masks and 55,000 overall as a donation on behalf of its conglomerate Kering who has donated to four major foundation hospitals in Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany and Lazio and the brand also launched a crowdfunding campaign with the goal of 10 million and has had the WHO take over their instagram profile; Moncler has donated €10 million towards the construction of a new hospital in Milan; Giorgio Armani has given a total of €1.25 million to numerous Italian hospitals; Versace’s Donatella and her daughter donated €200,000 to the ICU of a Milanese hospital; Sergio Rossi has donated €100,000 to a hospital; and Valentino’s parent company Mayhoola has made a donation of €1 Million towards the Italian civil protection foundation for the extraordinary efforts they’ve had to put in place as well as a donation to improve the ICU of a struggling Milanese hospital. Influencer Chiara Ferragni also managed to raise a lump sum of €4.3 Million via a GoFundMe account launched with her husband in aid of Milanese hospital San Rafaelle.
In France – LVMH is manufacturing hydroalcoholic gel /hand sanitizer via its facilities normally used to produce fragrances for Dior, Guerlain and Givenchy which they will donate 12 metric tons across Paris’ 39 public hospitals by the end of this week; conglomerate Kering has also tasked it’s fashion brands Balenciaga & Saint Laurent to manufacture surgical masks and Hermes has donated 5 million yuan to a Chinese foundation in honour of medical professionals fighting the virus.
In Spain, Mayhoola , parent brand of Valentino, Balmain & Pal Zileri is supporting the Madrid community during this crisis by donating 1 Million EUROS, towards the expansion emergency field Hospital COVID-19 IFEMA which will become the largest hospital structure in the Madrid Community.
In the US a few brands have also been showing up for the cause, with designer Christian Siriano offering himself and team to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to aid in making face masks as well as Brandon Maxwell who has started working with his team to make masks, hospital gowns and other items that may be in short supply.
MOSCOT optical is working in collaboration with Cherry Optical Labs to give back to emergency medical professionals in the United States by providing over $1.5 million worth of MOSCOT frames filled with clear lenses that will help reduce exposure to airborne particles and fluid borne pathogens.
Witnessing the industry come together on such a tragic occasion in such a way to help the community at large is a glimmer of hope during a dark time. Each brand and individual person’s contribution has surely helped in some way or another in easing the pressure off medical professionals who are on the frontlines fighting during this dire time. For information on channels you can directly support the ongoing crisis in Italy, visit Forbes.
Designer Miuccia Prada is no stranger to the movement of feminism. She has not only covered the topic in past runway shows, but her presence in itself as one of the leading female forces in fashion is symbolic for many.
For her FW20 womenswear show the designer tackled traditional standards of what it means to be intrinsically feminine as she challenges the notion of femininity equating to softness, fragility and sensuality and proposing that this tradition delicacy can and should be what defines strength. With this in mind, she dresses her woman with the idea of finding power and strength in such paradoxes. Vents, layered fringes and deconstructed pleats reveal skin, and underscore locomotion.
Movement is tied to the corporeal , to athleticism, hence to sportswear. All these forms of everyday glamour are challenged from practical to aesthetic. Cinched waists of nylon puffer coats create a classic feline shape paired with gum boots for contrasts. The collection is a reflection of the construct of femininity, and an ode to it’s many different shapes, forms , sizes and manifestations. Each pairing , each look acts as a protest against the idea that there is a singular definition to what it means to be feminine, or what it means to be a woman.
Following the buzz of their FW20 Menswear campaign earlier this month featuring Frank Ocean, Prada centred it’s recently released womenswear campaign around the theme of the brand’s fluid identity and flexibility. Shot by photographer Jamie Hawkesworth, the campaign was featured in a similar format to the menswear, playing upon the different types of characters that inspire and define the brand.
“The paradox and contradiction inherent to Prada make easy categorization or summarization impossible: Prada is simultaneously complex and simple, singular yet multi-faceted.”
This menswear season, creative director Miuccia Prada was conflicted, stuck between contradictions and dichotomies as the theme for her FW20 menswear collection.
Guests were invited into the classic PRADA space in Milan, which was transformed by AMO into two identical voids. Situating the audience above looking down on the depths of a colourful arena like runway with a white statue of a man on a horse centrestage. The collection itself was a bridge between opposites: new & old, past & present. Madam Prada played on the notion of creating classic menswear with subtle touches of modernity. Some models donned full three piece linen suits white others sported versions of the house’s classic nylon fits.
There were stylised gumboots, leather & shearling vests and a flash of pajama patterns in liking to the work of artists during the Vienna Secessions which signalled towards the finale (these are bound to be a hit by Prada fanatics ). This season the designer took the time to deliver a collection which she described as optimistic and valuable.
“ I thought to give an indication that only thing that makes me calm and optimistic is to give value to work… to give value to things that matter any our life and your work, and so the creativity is mixed with technicalities, which is a little bit similar to the Secessionist period when ideas, creativity, and actual work had to be all together,” she explained.
For Spring Summer 2020 , Prada platforms a trinity of contemporary creatives for the faces of their latest menswear campaign. On theme with the SS20 show which took place in Shanghai last year under the themes of duality, reinvention & boyish optimism, the Italian house tapped musician Frank Ocean, actor Austin Butler and director/screenwriter/producer Nicolas Winding as creatives in control of their own invention under the light of Prada SS20.
Shot by photographer David Sims, the campaign features profiles of each talent embodying & portraying their individual definitions of the Prada man. The Prada SS20 collection will soon be available online & in stores, visit Prada to discover the full campaign.
A collaboration announced a few weeks ago, luxury fashion brand Prada has officially launched the first by-product of their partnership with adidas as a homage to the German sportswear brand.
The first drop features a version of the Adidas Original shoe — a sneaker which has been a staple of the brand since its inceptions in 1969, is re-introduced with luxury through Prada’s full-grain leather for its upper, Adidas signature rubber shell toe and triple-stripe heel alongside Prada’s logotype. The shoe is aptly paired with a version of Prada’s bawling bag which has been modified to echo the original bowling bag and give hints towards the Adidas gym bag as it’s executed in superior calf leather with a sports nylon strap.
The mini collection will hit Prada stores on December 4th and will be offered in a total of only 700 pieces worldwide, both male and female. Each piece has also been numbered with the unique serial to number of its production order.
On theme with their latest resort show , last week, Italian fashion house Prada launched their Resort 2020 campaign under the direction of seditious simplicity.
The campaign shot by photographers Keizo Kitajima and Drew Vickers gives a fresh take on advertising as it is physically presented the campaign in the form of tactile paper images wrapped around bouquets of flowers. Each one gives perspective of the very different images framed by the duo, showcasing their contrasting photography styles.
One side sees the work of NYC based photographer Drew Vickers as he presents elegant, emotional black & white images of his Prada Resort decked subjects, whilst Japanese photographer Keizo Kitakima’s work complements this with the subjects alive and in motion, recalling his dynamic street photography from as far back as the 70’s .
The products of the Prada Resort 2020 campaign can be discovered at local florists around the cities of London, Milan, Moscow , New York, Paris, Shanghai & Tokyo and the full collection can be seen on Prada.com
Last week, Italian fashion house Prada tapped American musician and artist Willow Smith for an unannounced performance at a station along the Central Line of London’s tube to commemorate the launch of their Fall Winter 2019 Linea Rossa collection.
The inspiration behind the performance was quite literal, Prada’s Linea Rossa ( red line in English ) is a uniting emblem that’s simple yet complex, and industrially can be identified in all major cities throughout transport. This was in alignment with the core thought of the Linea Rossa collection which was originally created by Miuccia Prada in the 1990’s as she kept speed, travel , and dynamic energy in mind as the brand initially ventured into sportswear.
The Fall Winter 2019 collection , of course uses this historic red line as one of it’s unifying elements as well as the brand’s use of signature fabrics. Some technical jerseys are created with polyester fibres recycled from plastic bottles recovered from sea and land fill where the waste was melted then spun into threads to create the lightweight jersey. It also includes the use of their renewable & recycled polyester fabrics, Goretex Pro water-repellent microfibre and the famous nylon. The collection carries the tones similar to that of the military as when put together they give the effect of a modern day PRADA army , with shades of army green, pink , black , neon orange & neon green shaped to hug the body yet maintain a free range of free movement.
To see more or shop the collection visit PRADA.COM
Last week during Frieze London , Prada presented its third edition of Prada Mode — a traveling private club with a focus on contemporary culture that provides members a unique art experience along with music, dining and conversation — with the theme of Collective Intimacy in the heart of London at the 180 The Strand as a collaboration with The Vinyl Factory and The Showroom . In a space installed by installation artist Theaster Gates, the fashion house presented a series of exhibitions, performances and events across the span of a few days.
This included panel discussions with names like designers Grace Wales Bonner & Dozie Kanu, live performances by Samuel Ross, Bumi Thomas, poet Inua Ellams and a closing party with live performances by Jojo About and DJ sets by Zezi Ifore & James Messiah.
The event was the house’s second staging of Prada Mode this year following their set up at Art Basel Hong Kong in March.
Yesterday Italian fashion house Prada opened the doors to their Marchesi 1824 store in Central London. The pastry shop, the first of it’s kind outside of Milan, replicates the scenery of it’s Italian location. The Pasticceria Marchesi, founded in 1824, has overtime become one of Milan’s signature spots, known for its fine patisseries, chocolates and traditional Milanese panettone. This vision of traditional elegance was channelled in it’s London location with elegant cherry furnishings and carefully restored tiling provided for the convenience of the enjoyment of the store’s wide selection of traditional Italian confectionery. The Pasticceria Marchesi is currently opened to the public and sits along Mount Street in Mayfair.
Last night, Italian fashion house Prada presented their Resort 2020 collection at their Piano Factory headquarters in New York under the theme Seditious Simplicity. The backdrop for the collection was a set designed by British-Dutch architecture studio AMO who re-imagined the space into a series of gloss pink simplistic lounging areas.
This season creative director Miuccia Prada opted for a less playful theme, with a series of looks that offer clean and simple silhouettes, the collection was an ample contrast against the complexity of today’s world. It featured overcoats, brass buttoned blazers, eased skirts, utility suitings, peasant blouses made in cotton poplins, faille, leather and suede. Although the designer’s motive was to portray simple, this did not restrict a colourful palette. Navy blues, multi-chromatic pinks, and pastels were abundant with the complements of pinstripes, checks and micro patterned florals. Accessories were also a key part of the collection, with Prada’s iconic bowling bag from the SS2000 collection making a comeback in various colours. Other accessories included colourful scarves crafted in paillettes and ear and neck jewellery made from baroque pearls. As Ms.Prada stated herself, “It’s simplicity as a protest against too much. I’m sensitive to the political situation; it affects me,” the woman presented in the collection was an appropriate character in the current age of everything being “too much.“
This past week has seen the release of Italian fashion house Prada’s latest Linea Rossa campaign featuring their signature Linea Rossa logo with a bit of a twist. The campaign shot and directed by Daniel Sannwald features the duo of models Lineisy Monero and Jun Young who are chic in the Linea Rossa looks from Prada’s SS19 collection. The pieces, all made from innovative, futuristic fabrics are the epitome of ultra-functional minimalism and futuristic sportswear combined with a sprinkle of modern elegance. It includes men’s, women’s and unisex garments that creates slim yet sharp silhouettes that gives the wearer an extra edge for respective occasions. The campaign itself is a technoid take on the classic technique of chronophotography, capturing multiple frames of a motion and combining them in single images. To shop Prada’s Linea Rossa, visit Prada.
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