SHAPESHIFTER

CREATIVE DIRECTION: DANÉ STOJANOVIC & MARNE SCHWARTZ
PHOTOGRAPHY: PAUL MOREL
FASHION DIRECTION: ANNA CASTAN
MOTION DESIGN: URIEL ROMANO / URIWORKS.ONLINE
DIGITAL TECHNICIAN: CYRIL GOURDIN
HAIR: JEAN LUC AMARIN
MAKEUP: RICKY MORANDIN
MODEL: EMILY LIPTOW / WOMEN MANAGEMENT MILANO
AD: LAURA CORDAIY

Miuccia Prada made the historic announcement that Raf Simons would be joining her as co-creative director of her namesake label, Prada, in February 2020, when the rumblings of an impending pandemic were still a quiet, ominous hush. Then, it was unexpected that the pair’s first creative outings would be delivered to an empty auditorium and live-streamed digitally, but such was the case for their debut as a design duo at Spring/Summer 2021 and again for Fall/Winter 2021. Still, the lack of a physical show did little to quell the fashion world’s collective excitement. Here you had one of this generation’s foremost fashion visionaries entrusting her vision (and name) to an understated Belgian designer so talented, he’s one of the few figures truly deserving of the phrase “cult following”. There was the distinct sense that something special was about to happen, and Prada and Simons delivered on that promise in droves.

Graphic shapes and geometric patterns have long been hallmarks of the Prada aesthetic, and for FW21 womenswear Prada and Simons put them front and centre. Full-length bodysuits in breathable jacquard knit were worn under chic grey wool suits (or, if you’re feeling brave, entirely on their own), graphic printed opera gloves were paired with floating crepe de chine day dresses, and statement cocoon coats were elevated to new heights with knee-high printed knit boots with bold, geometric heels. Outerwear in general was a highlight, from the voluminous bomber jackets with jacquard-printed linings, through to the faux fur shrugs lined with bold paillettes in magenta, electric blue, and black. 

Here, photographer Paul Morel and fashion director Anna Castan bring Prada’s FW21 collection to life, evoking the collections’ bold shapes and moody theatricality. A fusion between disparate themes that mirror the nature of humanity, the collection explores the space that exists between conventional polar opposites—the point between simplicity and complexity, elegance and practicality, limitation and release. “In this collection we play with the idea of the classic – we subvert it, we transmutate it,” says Prada. “The word ‘classic’ means there is something intrinsically necessary or clever about it, something meaningful…Often, it is very simple – through new materials, a different cut or context, something obvious, eternal, normal – with a simple gesture, it can transform. That is what I truly love, in fashion.” As FW21 proved, the space that exists between Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons is a very compelling one indeed.

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