Prada menswear spring 2021 and the future of the brand
Although a menswear collection, Prada spring 2021 is full of womenswear looks as well, but putting gender labels on pieces of fabric seems pretty outdated and so does probably Miuccia Prada think too.
“As times become increasingly complex, clothes become straightforward, unostentatious, machines for living and tools for action and activity.” That’s what was written in the press note for this Prada collection. Against a grey concrete backdrop at the Fondazione Prada in Milan, models walked the runway in black and grey suits. Prada became famous in the 1990’s with its minimalist clothes made of the brand’s signature nylon, which is what Miuccia seems to dive back into.
The looks are close to Prada’s roots and original identity, an Italian family owned brand with minimalist tailoring, but we see some of the younger and more streetwear inspired designs that Prada has been doing for a couple of seasons now. They manage to blend in well with the rest of the more classic silhouettes, while still be more appealing to a younger demographic.
Shoes, knitwear and fit, everything is perfection.
This is the last collection that Miuccia will design on her own. The Belgian designer Raf Simons will join Miuccia as co-creative director at Prada. Raf is known as a menswear God who has his own cult following of fuckboys, hypebeasts and gays. He has previously been creative director at Jil Sander, Christian Dior, Calvin Klein and also designed shoes for Adidas.
Raf for Jil Sander
Raf for Dior
Raf for Calvin Klein
Raf Simons has sparked interest for a brand every time he’s been appointed as creative director and Prada, a brand that was extremely slow at adopting social media and the internet, has finally been getting more recognition for its work these past couple of seasons and hopefully we’ll see the interest in Prada increase as Raf joins the company. Last year Prada reported its first annual growth in five years. It was a 2% net revenue, according to an article in The Love Magazine (“Breaking: Miuccia Prada enlists Raf Simons”, 2020-02-23)
Throughout this Prada collection, we could see Miuccia referencing Raf Simons.
The pink coat is a reference to Simons’ last collection for Jil Sander ( https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2012-ready-to-wear/jil-sander/slideshow/collection#12 ) and the white tracksuit is a reference to what we might see from Prada in the future since Raf is no stranger to streetwear and overpriced sneakers.
Overall the collection was solid. It stuck to what Prada does best, while still being interesting and innovative.