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 Prada is one of the most recognizable
brands in the world that is known to almost everyone around the world. Prada is
one of those brands that gets forged the most. Prada clothes are worn by
celebrities, famous people and even by the Pope. The new Prada collections are
desired and expected by everyone whether it is pop-stars, celebrities or other
people. According to the Wall Street Journal Miuccia Prada who is the owner of
the most recognizable brand in the world is considered one of the top thirty
influential women of Europe.
Prada's story has begun in the year 1913 in Milan
where a man called Mario Prada has found a new company that was producing bags
which he called «Fratelli Prada» (The Prada Brothers). Company's priority was
to work with the top level customers which made «Fratelli Prada» use rare,
expensive and sometimes exclusive materials for the production of their
journey-bags and portmanteaus. Suitcases made from the walrus leather with
precious wooden formations installations as well as with the turtle shell
installations and with strass ornaments all over the bag were very valuable all
around Europe at the time. Despite the popularity once the company was
inherited by the daughter of the previous owner -Louise - in 45 years the Prada
Company started to fade out and the popular brand was not as desired as it once
has been. It is believed that one of the reasons for that is the fact that
Prada bags were too heavy and could only be considered as the eye-candy.
In the year 1979 the youngest of the
grand-daughters' of Mario Prada - Miuccia Prada - was put in charge for the
company. It was really hard to find anyone less suitable for the role of the
chairman of the company. For the last couple of years Miuccia was studying in
the university, was a part of the pantomime in Milan's «Piccolo Theatre», was a
member of the communistic party and was one of the most recognized member of
the women rights movement in the 1970-s. Despite all that this was indeed
Miuccia Prada, the revolutionary woman who managed to make a company with a
world-wide reputation out of Fratelli Prada. Miuccia, however, admits that if
she didn't meet her husband - Patricio Bertelli - the same year who later
became her business partner, she probably would never reach those heights that
she eventually did with Prada.
For six years Miuccia was working on the
collection of bags made from black nylon. This is where the rise of the Prada
brand began. The portmanteaus from light but solid cloth as well as black nylon
mini-bags without the brand's name on it were demanded by every woman all over
Italy. The price for the production was high enough which led to a lot of fake
Prada bags which on its own made people look for real Prada even harder.
Not having a designer's degree didn't stop
Miuccia from creating the Prada prêt-a-porte collection in 1989. Even though
the «fall-winter 1989» collection was criticized very much women liked the
straight, even strict lines which made the clothes stand out from the very
sensitive collections of other designers of that time. The same could be
applied to the black tones of the Prada collection in contrast to bright colors
that dominated the fashion world in the late eighties. Three years later
Miuccia created a new clothing brand named after her pseudonym Miu Miu. The
brand looked more youth-alike and using the bright colors was in contract to
prêt-a-porte more accessible, brighter, and lighter. Miuccia gathered the ideas
for the first Miu Miu collection from her own closet which mostly consisted of
hippie clothes and accessories.
While Miuccia was designing the clothes all
of the business issues are being taken care of by her husband - Patricio
Bertelli. In the 1990-s Miuccia creates the men's clothing collection, a
collection of the underwear and the famous sunglasses collection. The
sunglasses collection made the critics go wild. The heavy, squared glasses with
a massive frame did not fit in any other Prada collections and it was believed
that the company is soon to be closed. However the «Disgusting Prada» was so
much talked about that thousands of people were looking for the items and
Miuccia even received a reward for «Best Accessories» at the designers'
assembly in the USA the same year.
This autumn, as Miuccia told herself, she
got carried away with the gofferings. While she only wanted to decorate the
clothes with a bit of lace, Miuccia created a collection with every item being
made from the goffering. The collection was met very warmly. Nobody really
expected something so sexy, frank, and feminine from the «good old Prada»,
Miuccia really created a sensation there. This winter Prada will bring us the
frosty goffering as well. Clothes, bags, accessories all have a goffering
applied to them reminding one of the frosty patterns on the iced window
glasses. The collection is expected to be in black, dark blue, light blue and
bronze colors. The shoes collection reminds one of the Glinda the Good Witch's
magical straps from «The Wizard of Oz» book by Frank Baum. It seems as if it is
possible to fly away to a different realm while wearing them...
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