Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons. Photo courtesy of Prada.
The highly-anticipated Prada spring/summer 2021 collection was unveiled to the world today, September 24, during Milan fashion week. The ready-to-wear line marks the first collection co-designed by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons since Simons joined the Italian fashion house as a co-creative director in April 2020.
Expectations soared high for the duo’s combined vision as many deemed them to be the perfect match. The fashion house, however, describes the collection as “a dialogue, a creative conversation in progress.” When the announcement was made in February, Prada and Simons stated that they would work in partnership “with equal responsibilities for creative input and decision making.” In a press conference, Simons had said: “We feel the need to join as creative people in a dialogue, to bring emotion and bring co-creation.”
While the collection itself was unmistakeably Prada with the signature triangle logo printed on the chest area, and also used in earrings and accessories, artworks by Peter de Potter, a long-term collaborator of Simons, were sometimes seen over the archival Prada print. The models were seen wearing jackets wrapped around the bodies, in an elegant, nonchalant way, and skirts below knee-length were paired with knitwear featuring circular cut-outs. In signature Prada style, the collection was elegant — very easy to dress up and also dress down — with sports and utilitarian touches to looks such as skirts and tops with compartments, and the merging of accessories and ready-to-wear.
Courtesy of Prada
The collection is made with the woman of today in mind; one who is unique and values individuality. This was evident in the way the models’ names appeared in big screens, taking away from the notion of models wearing clothes like anonymous mannequins. The show as a whole also explored humanity’s relationship with technology during the global pandemic as multiple cameras rotated 360 degrees above the runway. “I never gave it importance before,” shared Prada on the dependency on technology. “During the lockdown, we realized, and mainly I realized how important technology is, and in some ways is an extension of ourselves.”
After the show, Prada and Simons sat down to answer questions sent in by people from around the world. Alone, but not really alone, as Prada herself put it referring to the live stream being watched globally, the designers seemed relaxed in each other’s company. The two go way back, having known each other since 2005 when Simons was appointed the creative director of Jil Sander, which was then owned by the Prada Group.
Watch the Prada spring/summer 2021 womenswear show below and click through the gallery above to see all the looks.
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