Prada Spring/Summer 2021 Womenswear Show
Link to digital show : https://www.youtube.com/
The Show That Never Happened was the title Miuccia Prada gave to her digital swan-song at Milan Men’s Fashion Week in July 2020. Same city, two months later, there was little hesitancy to formally identify Prada as the Show That Would Happen The Most. This frenzy can be explained by three factors. Primo, the creative union of two couture geniuses at the head of the illustrious Italian house : Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons who presented on Thursday their long-awaited debut collection. Secundo, the unprecedented context in which this unprecedented duo set to work; the coronavirus curtailing the time and means with which a fashion show of this magnitude normally operates. Tertio, the unashamed mission the two designers have advocated before : to reaffirm the primacy of creativity in high fashion. “At this moment, lots of creatives feel troubled, feel the fashion industry is [becoming] an industry where it might move to excluding creatives,” Simons said at their joint press conference in February.
The questions Miuccia Prada asked herself in the press release eloquently convey the ethical and aesthetic shift of the brand : “In a time of incredible complexity : What matters? What is meaningful? » Simons elaborates : “We wanted to create something that makes sense to people, something that is useful. Everything we do should allow people to live better. The show is about emphasizing humanity. It is about women, and everything around them supports them, showcases their characters.” It is thus with no surprise that Miuccia and Raf decided to cancel the physical show initially planned. Instead, the 40-look collection unfolded on Prada.com and the usual backstage circus was replaced by “a conversation » in which Miuccia and Simons thoughtfully answered handpicked questions solicited on Instagram and submitted online. « What is Prada-ness? », “Are you doing subtraction or addition?”, « What is the meaning of the uniform for Prada? » were amongst the questions asked. The oral explanations Prada and Simons provided were merely an exquisite echo to the answers they produced on the catwalk.
The bicephalous clothes collection created by Prada this season was presented against a plain orange sunset backdrop. No additional elements distracted the eye from the models moving towards the nimble camera. There was a good reason for this. From the first few looks, one could immediately discern the preamble of an abstracted and deep Prada uniform. Long, narrow, ’90s-ish trousers, recycled Nylon oversized coats, perforated polo necks superimposed under or over other garments, pointy-toed slingback kitten heels in contrasting colours were among the highlights of the show, not counting the famous supersized triangle logo which was sewn on the sternum. The way the models, who had never previously walked a runway show, held the garments with one hand clutching the fabric was moving and metaphorically reiterated Prada’s desire to bring together the multiple surplices, surpluses and facets of Prada’s heritage, streamlined in an emotionally-charged dreamlike presentation. The humanism of this collection made to be worn, held, embraced was also palpable in the soundtrack, composed for the show by Plastikman, British-Canadian electronic musician Richie Hawtin, which included the names of every woman modelling in the show.
