A POCKET FULL OF POSIES

As Prada announces Miuccia will step down as CEO of the Italian luxury fashion group, we take a look back at her lifelong legacy at the house.

PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL COMNINUS
FASHION DIRECTION: KIM PAYNE
HAIR & MAKEUP: AIMIE FIEBIG
MODEL: AYESHA DJWALA / PRISCILLAS
WORDS: LEEN AL SAADI

THIS FEATURE IS PUBLISHED IN THE 4TH EDITION OF GRAZIA MIDDLE EAST. DISCOVER MORE HERE.

She’s a heroine of sorts that’s for sure. Although, the powers she possesses are unique. No capes or crowns for the Prada protagonist, she’s understated; yet powerful. A muse for the introvert. She goes against the expectations and trends set by her rivals and forecasters, and believes in facts and not fairy tales. She’s the modern-day combatant, and double-breasted jackets are her favourite shield of choice. She “learns from the lives of people,” as her counsellor Miuccia Prada heart-warmingly notes, and soaks in all of their experiences to become reincarnated into the Anti-Heroine.

Prada was founded in 1913 by Mario Prada, Miuccia’s grandfather, and she rose to the helm in 1978. Miuccia holds a doctorate in Political Science, which perfectly explains the philosophy behind her creations. She sees everything through a metaphysical eye, trying to decipher how a visual asset can evoke more than just beauty, how a piece of clothing can decode societies and their constructs. Miuccia was also a mime for a brief period of time – a fact that may come as a surprise to some – performing in a theatre and in the streets of Milan. Somehow, choosing a profession without words, relying solely on theatrical movement and appearance to evoke emotion, explains her famously elusive persona at Prada decades later.

As humans, we often like to assume that everything we see, we consume and we experience needs an explanation. We’re a curious species, habitually trying to translate even the simplest concepts. The Creative Director however, believes that fashion, sometimes, does not require an explanation. In the past, the design doyenne has noted “I would say there is no Prada woman. I’m interested in women in general. I don’t have any kind of preference. I do what I think is right.” Her statement goes against everything I’ve personally learnt when it comes to the fashion business industry. We’re taught that in order to sell anything, you need to pinpoint your customer, your audience. And yet, Miuccia is bluntly declaring that there isn’t an ideal Prada consumer. Perhaps this goes to show that anyone can be a Prada woman, because she is not limited to a certain beauty, personality or social paradigm. The Prada woman has no boundaries, neither does Miuccia’s philosophy.

The Italian designer took over Prada a mere three years after the term ‘male gaze’ was coined, and has ever since, become admired for empowering women in her designs rather than objectifying them. Decades later, Miuccia brought on Raf Simons to help her, perhaps one of the few men that would ensure Prada’s longevity with the same mindset.

When she inherited the brand, Miuccia declared that she would “hijack the codes of the upper bourgeoisie,” almost sounding like a vow she was making to herself. She’s undeniably done exactly that, and the brand’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection was living proof. Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons showed a different unity to their almost three year-old alliance for this collection. Simons reassured with his cultishly adored rebellious spirit, whilst Mrs. Prada stayed true to her proficiency: gentrifying the ugly.

“I think of revolutionary moments in Prada’s history, and we echo them here,” Raf said in his statement after the show. “There are never direct recreations, but there is a reflection of something you know, a language of Prada.” There’s no denying that his articulation has a weight. The collection showed dainty lingerie layered under black and leather coats, conveying a sense of sensual strength that only a confident woman could armour herself in. Avalanches of Prada logoed tank tops paired with romantic pencil skirts stormed the catwalk, whilst boxy ’80s trenches moulded the models into mannish figurines.

At Miu Miu, Prada’s younger sister, the reign of the micro-skirt continued and doubled down, whilst at Prada, Miuccia and Raf Simons proved their perfect alliance by creating a collection for a wiser, fiercer woman. It may be unusual, yet it’s not rare to have two creatives work together in the field. Despite their very distinct visions and aesthetics, a sartorial marriage was made.

When it came to silhouettes, both Raf and Miuccia’s years of expertise in immaculate tailoring have proven them to be connoisseurs in the field, and this collection has shown this to be true. One look, however, that did come as a wonder, was a herringbone coat with bright faux-fur trimmings on the sleeves. And yet, the amalgamation between the centuries-old print, which candidly prompts me to visualise a World War II military uniform, with the acid-green and pallid pink fur, harmoniously pair well, much to my surprise.

When Prada announced its ban on the use of animal fur back in 2019, many thought it was tasked with something too difficult to solve: how to make faux-fur aspirational? And yet, it seems that Prada has somehow solved this conundrum, season after season. The subtle yet visible gleam that is reflected from the faux-fur throughout the Fall/Winter 2022 collection only further signifies Miuccia’s recognised capability for making the ugly pretty.

The highlight of the show, at least according to the internet and obsessive trend devotees, was a humble item. A crisp, slim-fitting white tank top, featuring the brand’s iconic and loved triangular logo under the neckline. Not long after, the reinvention of this uncomplicated piece was adapted by countless other luxury brands.

In many ways, the Prada woman is a reflection of Miuccia herself. High-brow yet humble, cultured yet unpretentious. It’s been over two decades since she was named co-chair of Fondazione Prada, a cultural institute that has hosted art exhibitions, film festivals and other creative projects in Milan. Mrs. Prada has been involved in the elevation of culture and the arts long before other designers were participating – let alone constructing – such institutions.

The Prada name holds more weight than it ever did before, and the brand owes most of it to the woman that has steered it so steadfastly. Miuccia’s attitude to fashion and design could also be described as ironic: using a material as anti-luxury as nylon to create one of the decades’ most coveted handbags, or featuring faux-fur and cotton tank tops on a runway in Paris. Her ability to satirise materials and concepts that have for decades, if not centuries, been seen as ‘taboo’ in the luxury market, either shows her mockery of the restrictions and rules set by the fashion hierarchy, or shows her unwillingness to submit to these confinements. The enigmatic beauty of Prada is that Muiccia keeps us guessing.

Whilst Miuccia prefers not to label the Prada woman, it’s clear that she is the antithesis of many things. An anti-abider, an anti-acolyte and an anti-heroine.