She rebels because she always has and challenges perceptions of beauty. Simple: Turn out into in. After 48 hours in Shanghai and a Damien Hirst, our author is convinced: Miuccia Prada is turning her global company into a total work of art.
Of course she comes last. A few minutes after Raf Simons appeared, Miuccia Prada enters the “Pradasphere” Café at the Start Museum in Shanghai. It suddenly becomes quiet: first everyone stops, then within seconds they swarm around her like the queen bee. But no one says anything, everyone just holds their cell phone in front of her face. She seems shy, but also strong, if not authoritarian. I lower my phone, she smiles.
“Mrs Prada, why Shanghai?” comes a question from the room. “Why not? “I love China, I was here for the first time when I was 25,” the 74-year-old replies almost flippantly. The fact that China is a crucial market for luxury fashion because it is the most populous country in the world, the middle class is growing disproportionately and shows a strikingly high level of interest in luxury fashion probably doesn't play a minor role in your mind, but the interest in the country and its people goes deeper. Years ago she founded a foundation in Shanghai to preserve cultural assets and initiate art exhibitions. The interest of the fashion-savvy Chinese in the Milan fashion house is also huge. When it comes to knowledge, however, things sometimes become more pitiful. That evening at the party, five meters away from Jeff Goldblum, a Chinese guest asked me if Coco Chanel was still alive. No wonder that a global brand like Prada wants to present its story in Shanghai.
Mine with the Italians goes like this: In the beginning it was my father's inherited suit: 90s, black, oversized. I had it repaired twice by a seamstress; this investment was always more worthwhile than buying a new one. A few years ago it had to be something new: a Re-Nylon handbag bag. It was my daily companion, then it was stolen and I bought it again. During dog walks, less design-savvy dog owners often confuse it with a food bag. He is, but so much more.
I don't want to say 'Oh my god, I did it!', I don't want to be impressed. I'm already thinking about what's next.
The Fondazione Prada in Milan was another formative place. An architectural masterpiece, designed by Rem Kohlhaas among others, dedicated to art, the exhibitions and the café were always there during Design Week when I was a student place to be. I ended up studying design. For me, Prada wasn't just about fashion, it was more of a culture, a sphere that was fed by fashion, art, design, music and developed from it into a total work of art. I have now brought proof of this with me: 48 hours in Shanghai, China.
Renovated by Pritzker Prize winner Jean Nouvel, the Start Museum is located directly on the banks of the Huangpu River, adjacent to Xuhui's central business district. Shanghai has more than 26.3 million inhabitants who, contrary to all expectations, apparently sleep early: the lights go out at 10 p.m. Before that, I enter the “Pradasphere II” in the inherited suit with the Re-Nylon bag and light blue Miu Miu shoes – a public exhibition that tells the history and culture of Prada from its beginnings in 1913 to the present day .
The entrance is typical of the brand: check flooring underfoot, pistachio green velvet walls and a Gursky on the wall; the photo shows an early boutique. The main corridor resembles a catwalk, but is modeled on the warehouses in Italy MaggazzinoItalian for warehouse. The industrial shelves contrast with pink velvet walls. No glass walls, no distance desired, you're completely inside. Raf Simons, co-creative director since 2020, chose one look per collection, 200 in total, starting in 1988 with Miuccia Prada's first fashion collection. The newest looks on the right, the oldest on the left. Three decades create an identity, everything together makes an overarching meaning. In fact, each collection is equally relevant and timeless. At first glance. The time and thus the years of the looks reveal the Prada code; each season turns the previous ones on their heads. She is considered the master of the ugly-elegant and knows exactly what she is doing: she contrasted the sexy years of the mid-90s with dull brown tones and curtain patterns, ushered in change, she invented the currently popular athleisure trend years before and drove up the sales figures Boosted outdoor brands by designing sandals with Velcro straps. She rebels because she always did. She challenges our perception of beauty. To put it simply: out becomes in. And yet you can see the DNA, a vision of rigor surrounded by the sensational waves. This was the only way a woman could transform what was then a regional company into a global superpower. Did Mrs Prada's instinct anticipate our fashion tastes or did she shape them?
Raf Simons used to be a fan and is now a co-creator: “Discovering that there was already a classic DNA in 1988 and using that as a criterion and not just the eccentric looks was important. The most difficult task was “sorting out”. It’s easy to pick two, three, four favorite looks, but we had to choose just one per season.”
A job that is only partially envied. Because every die-hard Prada fan will definitely have an opinion about what the most brilliant pieces are and were. Hours of discussions ensued about this. Because fashion not only envelops our bodies, but also dresses the mind in references, associations and memories. Even after decades, certain details reveal themselves in a new light.
Back to the place. From the central catwalk, further experience spaces lead off to the different spheres: art, architecture, sport, all carried by a sound composition by Plastikman aka Richie Hawtin. It's a kind of crash course in condensation: a recreation of the original Fratelli Prada store in Milan, including the frescoes; a cinema for film fans that shows collaborations with Wes Anderson or Ridley Scott; a sailing simulator, the America's Cup is also part of the DNA, it is the passion of Miuccia's husband Patrizio Bertelli. In the “Materiality” room, 21 A-line skirts designed specifically for the exhibition are on display, referencing the symbiosis between research and craftsmanship. Complex textures, embroidery and feathers.
The famous 'Galleria' bag was placed in a formaldehyde tank, not by just anyone, but by Damien Hirst. There are also other works of art or handbags from the archive, 3D printed on the artist's typical white shelves. Miuccia Prada has been close friends with Damien Hirst since the 90s. The curiosity and durability of materials, both in the actual and figurative sense, in order to create something new from them, connects the two in their respective work.
Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada also seem to have a special connection. She has never shied away from political statements, rather she uses the fashion platform for all sorts of concerns – from feminism to social criticism: “Mrs. Prada, is your fashion art? Are you an artist?” “No,” is her clear answer. Rather, it is the basis for dedicating oneself to art. Fashion as a means to express something. But also as a source of income.
When the questions become too philosophical for her, she passes the word on to Raf Simons with a mischievous smile. The two are very polite and familiar with each other, Raf seems to give her security in the lightning storm. “Raf, if you could have started your journey with Prada earlier, which collection would you have started with?” “In 1988, right from the start.” It was your beginning and his greatest compliment. She sets the pace of the luxury world and it complements her work perfectly. The Pradasphere endures.
