Prada

Prada’s story begins not with fashion, but with craftsmanship. In 1913, Mario Prada opened a small boutique in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, specializing in finely crafted leather goods. His reputation for quality attracted aristocrats and intellectuals, but the company remained a niche luxury brand for decades. That changed in 1978, when his granddaughter, Miuccia Prada, took the helm. Armed with a PhD in political science and a deep appreciation for avant-garde design, she saw fashion as more than ornamentation—it was a statement, a language, a provocation. In 1985, Prada disrupted the luxury market with a simple black nylon handbag, a stark departure from the gilded opulence of the time. The bag, sleek and utilitarian, signaled a new era of understated luxury. What followed was a reinvention of high fashion itself, where minimalism, intellect, and rebellion coalesced into a brand that defied conventional beauty.

But Prada’s influence stretched far beyond its own boutiques. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, it became a cultural force, shaping not just wardrobes but the very philosophy of modern elegance. The Prada woman was enigmatic, her power drawn not from excess but from restraint. The brand expanded into ready-to-wear, eyewear, and footwear, each collection a dialogue between classic tailoring and futuristic experimentation. Architecture, cinema, and contemporary art all became part of Prada’s universe, with collaborations that blurred the line between fashion and intellectual discourse. Even in an industry obsessed with reinvention, Prada never chased trends—it set them. Today, as it navigates an era of sustainability and digital transformation, the brand remains what it has always been: a study in contradiction, where heritage meets radicalism and tradition is never a cage, but a springboard for what’s next.