Deep dive

A London exhibition will trace Prada’s game-changing legacy
By Jake Hall | Fashion | 6 March 2020

Top image: Backstage at Prada FW20 / Photography Sara Cimino

When Miuccia Prada stepped up to helm her family business in 1978, she took over a brand known for discreet, luxury leather accessories. Eleven years later, she launched a ready-to-wear line that soon changed the face of fashion for good. From sartorial investigations of “ugliness” (“more interesting than the bourgeois idea of beauty,” she famously said) to the game-changing advent of the nylon backpack, Prada has been leading the industry for more than three decades.

In September this year, London’s Design Museum will celebrate this legacy with Prada. Front and Backan exhibition which promises to “offer unprecedented insight into Prada’s creative approach, inspirations and landmark collaborations.”

GALLERY

Alongside insights into the designer’s mind, fashion fans will also glimpse behind the scenes at “the creative and industrial infrastructure” behind the industry. Plus, the timing couldn’t be more perfect: September also marks the beginning of a creative partnership between Prada and the equally-revered Raf Simons, announced late last month. Get your fashion fix from the shows, then follow it up with a dive into one of the industry’s most famous archives.

Prada. Front And Back. opens at London’s Design Museum in September 2020.


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