Prada : What Went Wrong?

[Norden]

Yeah pricing is probably a biiiiig factor in this. The increases have been really substantial. Much more than just offsetting inflation and higher resources costs.

it definitely moved outside the relevant conversation. It’s firmly cemented in the mainstream, which I guess is their goal.

 

[Fulton St Critique]

I mean with all those price increases they’ve been making. It is to be expected.

I think this thread was initially started to figure out how Prada went from being the center of fashion creation-wise to just another brand. Right now I don’t believe they will regain their godlike status, even with all the money in the world.

My intent with posting the results was to show that yes, the price increases clearly helped drive higher sales. I doubt Prada will ever regain what it once had, but regardless of that, their turnaround efforts are working, not from a sensibility or design POV, but from a financial one.

 

[Frederic01]

The prices! Ridiculous. A printed nylon parka for $6800USD, are they out of their minds?! The leather pieces are more expensive than Chanel LOL.


PRADA

 

[YohjiAddict]

^All the while the press kit for the summer capsule includes a two-cent sticker sheet for your child to play with…

 

[velvetandsilk]

I'm not shocked, on May I was in Milan and in the most important Prada boutique in the world it was on display:

prada.com
They lost all charm. Average fast fashion companies had more interesting displays. Also, I noticed they are giving away a lot of nylon clothes as a whispering Instagram ad.

 

[Frederic01]

^All the while the press kit for the summer capsule includes a two-cent sticker sheet for your child to play with…

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Does this strategy of gifting influencers really work anymore in 2022? It seems like a very dated marketing strategy that worked 10 years ago when they gave A-List celebrities product. But now? Really?

I see that Prada give a lot of free clothes to C-D List Influencers to wear for a post on social media in the attempt to generate publicity. As a buyer of the brand, it has has the opposite effect of what they intend. If I see some random influencer wearing pieces from the next collection (which hasn't even arrived in stores yet by the way) I just think: I don't want it anymore.

Why would anyone in their right mind pay the prices that Prada is demanding these days to wear something that a D-List influencer wore for free, months before its arrival in the store?

 

[MyNameIs]

In recent years, Prada has come under fire for a number of reasons. Firstly, the brand has been accused of being elitist and out of touch with its customers. Secondly, Prada's designs have been criticized for being too experimental and avant-garde, alienating many potential customers. Finally, the company has been embroiled in a number of scandals, including allegations of racism and sexism. As a result of all these factors, Prada's sales have suffered in recent years, and the brand's once-stellar reputation has been tarnished.

I think it's the opposite. What made Prada PRADA was the elitism, the avant-garde designs, the (at least pretending to) not trying to appeal to the masses. That's what gave it gravitas, mystique, edge. I think they sacrificed all that, chasing the trends, logos, "accessibility," reality celebs, etc.

 

[Fulton St Critique]

I think it's the opposite. What made Prada PRADA was the elitism, the avant-garde designs, the (at least pretending to) not trying to appeal to the masses. That's what gave it gravitas, mystique, edge. I think they sacrificed all that, chasing the trends, logos, "accessibility," reality celebs, etc.

Do you think it was elitism or the fact that the RTW lived in a niche space compared to the mass commercalized label we see today? Niche not in terms of brands such as CCP or Geoffrey Small, but in terms of footprint and market. Prada used to be about dignity- referring to production and design- and while yes, the prices were out of reach for the masses (no where near todays absurd price tags) I never considered Prada an “elitist” house just because they commanded a certain price point which I used to think was justifiable. You get what you pair for. Great accessories, footwear, beautiful clothes, fantastic fabrics (I love to buy vintage Prada so I can speak to this) and so on, IMO that is not elitist, rather, that is a great company providing their consumer base with quality products and a sound brand vision. Today, not so much.

 

[MyNameIs]

I wasn't necessarily referring to the price point. If we go strictly by that, every fashion house is elitist because every one of them is simply out of reach for VAST majority of people. I actually find it hilarious how hard the fashion industry has tried in recent years to be "democratic" and "accessible" when by definition it's a luxury market that only few can afford. But whatever, they seem to be making it work.

With Prada, though, I was talking about the prestige it commanded. It's not what it used to be. And that is, at least in part, because they were above trying to associate with the Kardashians of the world.

 

[Phuel]

^^^Prestige/exclusive/elite are dirty, forbidden terms in corporate fashion marketing right now. Meanwhile, the pricing continues to climb at such an absurd rate for the most outlet-looking of designs that, it’s only the exclusive/elitist/prestigious that can afford such slop to flex their clout LOL As long as you keep in mind how reliably, witlessly hypocritical this fashion era is, you’ll be able to weather this dimwit of an era.

Present-day Prada is such an antithesis of the glorious design visionary that was once so inspiration, so aspirational (and that past Prada— from design, to presentation, to campaign, continues to remain so relevant in how modern and timeless it is. that it’s not even the same brand. There’s such huge huge huge divide between what this brand was and what it is now— they’re like the difference between the mainline and the diffusion line, and even as two different brands.

Past-Prada remains so rich in its offering, that it’s still a delight to discover/rediscover past designs and past collections: It’s a feast that’s far from famine. Who needs this present-Prada slop…???

 

[Phuel]

Speaking of its glorious past: So many many many trailblazing collections that so simply, effortlessly moved from strength to strength without breaking a stride in the 2000s . But S/S 2009 will always define the pinnacle of Prada at its most exclusive and ideal: Unashamedly, unabashedly and unapologetically bourgeoisie, couture-y— with a touch of the archaic, a whiff of chaos, and even a bit gaudy, bad taste, all about to be unleashed in supreme harmony. And Jessica Stam at this stage of her career was such a muse: Devastatingly regal, blue-blood icy, irreverently vampy, and absolutely gorgeous. She glided above the mere mortals. The perfect Prada woman, in the perfect Prada collection, from such a perfect run of an era for this label— with not a logo, nor consideration for the typical outlet shopper in sight.

 

[Fulton St Critique]

Speaking of its glorious past: So many many many trailblazing collections that so simply, effortlessly moved from strength to strength without breaking a stride in the 2000s . But S/S 2009 will always define the pinnacle of Prada at its most exclusive and ideal: Unashamedly, unabashedly and unapologetically bourgeoisie, couture-y— with a touch of the archaic, a whiff of chaos, and even a bit gaudy, bad taste, all about to be unleashed in supreme harmony. And Jessica Stam at this stage of her career was such a muse: Devastatingly regal, blue-blood icy, irreverently vampy, and absolutely gorgeous. She glided above the mere mortals. The perfect Prada woman, in the perfect Prada collection, from such a perfect run of an era for this label— with not a logo, nor consideration for the typical outlet shopper in sight.

YES! Back when MP actually carred about fabric. That gold dress at the 9:00 minute mark is what dreams are made of, INCREDIBLE.

 

[Rigida]

The new white Prada tank top is finally available for purchase... for almost $1000 lol..

 

[Phuel]

^^^That dumb triangle dead centre on that tank don't come cheap...

YES! Back when MP actually carred about fabric. That gold dress at the 9:00 minute mark is what dreams are made of, INCREDIBLE.

Jourdan swaying out like a golden goddess in 8-inch heels— followed by Lara stomping like Frankenstein’s Monster because she can’t walk to save her life— let alone walk in such heels, can’t even diminish, tarnish the potency of this collection. Frankly, the collection was golden from the very first look to the very last (down to the demure pearl teardrop earrings : Eat your heart out, Ms Philo!). I remember reading in American Vogue circa 92 that Kate had stumbled walking for Versace, and she was in tears, especially after Gianni had whispered in her ear that she had “ruined his show”. When designs rely on gimmicks and models to create the illusion of grandeur, a model could “ruin” a show, I suppose. But when the designs were as great as Prada’s run of the 2000s, even an entire cast of models stomping and stumbling around, could ruin such great designs.

Throw a trendy boxy, big-shouldered jacket over this collection for S/S 2023, and none would be the wiser that this was from 2009. It’s still so ahead of the game. Even with the slop that’s current day Prada, I could never be mad at her.

 

[MulletProof]

Oh man, I still hate that collection .. that was around the time when Prada started to rely on "themes" . You could kind of see it coming with the 2007 collections, 2008 brought in the 'cartoon character' notion of style (when I used to think the Prada woman was a little more confident and dignified than that), and by 2009 it all started to spiral down into an identity crisis that progressed into what we have now, with some odd 'I think I know who I am' interludes in Fall 2013 and Fall 2014. With the exception of the last lamé pieces, and only because they're rather simple, what is there to keep 12 years later? a crumbled ugly bra, skirts with elastics? a tent dress Dries probably did with more soul? its contribution is so minimal.

Most of the girls looked lovely (because that's what that makeup, hair and those earrings will do to most women) but not to further fire on this: this collection/casting/season/time in fashion also symbolizes for me one of the most goddamn boring eras in fashion in terms of beauty.. gone were the Belgians, surreal-looking Brazilians like Ana Claudia Michels/Caroline Ribeiro or commanding Russians like Eugenia Volodina, or even the 'Supreme Management' girls or the doll-looking ones from 04, and don't get me started on quintessential Prada girls like Louise Pedersen and Werbowy, no, we descended into this phase of ultra plain, vanilla, apologetic-looking shapeless blondes that you could hardly tell apart. And the shoe fiasco, which was not exclusive to Lara Stone (I have never seen so many models repeatedly fall in a show) and mostly pertained to logic (loose no-show type of 'socks' in slippery materials in extra high heels) makes a great cocktail with the beauty standards of those years: don't walk too confident, don't stand out too much, blend in but preferably confine your uninteresting personality within the limits of your impractical clothes so you can look charmingly insecure, frail and interchangeable.

I'm sure she may have meant something differently, but this era of Prada exudes stage 1 of the crippling fear of potential irrelevancy as a creator, listen to it too closely as you pat yourself in the back and remind yourself over and over that there's nothing to fear because you're one of a kind, a genius, a trailblazer and you end up where she is and where Hedi is quickly heading to. Humble yourself by going back to student and question and observe and you might end up coming up with your stronger, or at least more meaningful and emotionally fearless work in your later years the way it's worked out for Yohji. Not that she could get away with that being this corporate but since she had plenty of creative freedom, it wasn't hard, had she not been so smug and stubborn.

 

[ivano]

Downhill since the SS 2017 season. Most of us agree with that.

 

[Phuel]

^^^May have been weak at the time. But compared to the absolute slop we're being hoodwinked into, it's a supreme feast.

Oh man, I still hate that collection .. that was around the time when Prada started to rely on "themes" . You could kind of see it coming with the 2007 collections, 2008 brought in the 'cartoon character' notion of style (when I used to think the Prada woman was a little more confident and dignified than that), and by 2009 it all started to spiral down into an identity crisis that progressed into what we have now, with some odd 'I think I know who I am' interludes in Fall 2013 and Fall 2014. With the exception of the last lamé pieces, and only because they're rather simple, what is there to keep 12 years later? a crumbled ugly bra, skirts with elastics? a tent dress Dries probably did with more soul? its contribution is so minimal.

Most of the girls looked lovely (because that's what that makeup, hair and those earrings will do to most women) but not to further fire on this: this collection/casting/season/time in fashion also symbolizes for me one of the most goddamn boring eras in fashion in terms of beauty.. gone were the Belgians, surreal-looking Brazilians like Ana Claudia Michels/Caroline Ribeiro or commanding Russians like Eugenia Volodina, or even the 'Supreme Management' girls or the doll-looking ones from 04, and don't get me started on quintessential Prada girls like Louise Pedersen and Werbowy, no, we descended into this phase of ultra plain, vanilla, apologetic-looking shapeless blondes that you could hardly tell apart. And the shoe fiasco, which was not exclusive to Lara Stone (I have never seen so many models repeatedly fall in a show) and mostly pertained to logic (loose no-show type of 'socks' in slippery materials in extra high heels) makes a great cocktail with the beauty standards of those years: don't walk too confident, don't stand out too much, blend in but preferably confine your uninteresting personality within the limits of your impractical clothes so you can look charmingly insecure, frail and interchangeable.

I'm sure she may have meant something differently, but this era of Prada exudes stage 1 of the crippling fear of potential irrelevancy as a creator, listen to it too closely as you pat yourself in the back and remind yourself over and over that there's nothing to fear because you're one of a kind, a genius, a trailblazer and you end up where she is and where Hedi is quickly heading to. Humble yourself by going back to student and question and observe and you might end up coming up with your stronger, or at least more meaningful and emotionally fearless work in your later years the way it's worked out for Yohji. Not that she could get away with that being this corporate but since she had plenty of creative freedom, it wasn't hard, had she not been so smug and stubborn.

I loved the deliciously cinematically creepy, Stepford Wives fembot look. That all the women were styled and made up to this ideal of untouchable 1950s clone army of ice queens— add to that they were teetering on these ludicrously high platforms, with some masterfully navigating the slippery-looking floors, while some were (unfortunately) tumbling down like a 6’6” house of cards, made it all the more dangerously gorgeous. It’s pure, concentrated, unadulterated Franca’s Vogue by Meisel come-to-life. And it’s so uncharacteristically raunchy for Prada at the time.

High fashion presentations, even the thematic proposals that may understandably not be your preference, or many now are dismissing as misogynist/drag/elitist blah blah blah, was always more exciting and inspiring when it was presented so untouchable, so exaggerated, so objectifying, and impossibly impractical. It was all about the fevered dream. Those ridiculous heels were never that high once they were available at the shops, and no one was walking around looking like a Stepford Wife from the Valley of the Dolls IRL. And stripped off its styling and casting, this remains a supreme collection of designs.

And the accompanying Meisel-shot campaign— with the heavy post-production, but done so right with its surreal pearly sheen all over the cast, just sent this collection into another stratosphere for me.

 

[MyNameIs]

Oh man, I still hate that collection .. that was around the time when Prada started to rely on "themes" . You could kind of see it coming with the 2007 collections, 2008 brought in the 'cartoon character' notion of style (when I used to think the Prada woman was a little more confident and dignified than that), and by 2009 it all started to spiral down into an identity crisis that progressed into what we have now, with some odd 'I think I know who I am' interludes in Fall 2013 and Fall 2014. With the exception of the last lamé pieces, and only because they're rather simple, what is there to keep 12 years later? a crumbled ugly bra, skirts with elastics? a tent dress Dries probably did with more soul? its contribution is so minimal.

Most of the girls looked lovely (because that's what that makeup, hair and those earrings will do to most women) but not to further fire on this: this collection/casting/season/time in fashion also symbolizes for me one of the most goddamn boring eras in fashion in terms of beauty.. gone were the Belgians, surreal-looking Brazilians like Ana Claudia Michels/Caroline Ribeiro or commanding Russians like Eugenia Volodina, or even the 'Supreme Management' girls or the doll-looking ones from 04, and don't get me started on quintessential Prada girls like Louise Pedersen and Werbowy, no, we descended into this phase of ultra plain, vanilla, apologetic-looking shapeless blondes that you could hardly tell apart. And the shoe fiasco, which was not exclusive to Lara Stone (I have never seen so many models repeatedly fall in a show) and mostly pertained to logic (loose no-show type of 'socks' in slippery materials in extra high heels) makes a great cocktail with the beauty standards of those years: don't walk too confident, don't stand out too much, blend in but preferably confine your uninteresting personality within the limits of your impractical clothes so you can look charmingly insecure, frail and interchangeable.

I'm sure she may have meant something differently, but this era of Prada exudes stage 1 of the crippling fear of potential irrelevancy as a creator, listen to it too closely as you pat yourself in the back and remind yourself over and over that there's nothing to fear because you're one of a kind, a genius, a trailblazer and you end up where she is and where Hedi is quickly heading to. Humble yourself by going back to student and question and observe and you might end up coming up with your stronger, or at least more meaningful and emotionally fearless work in your later years the way it's worked out for Yohji. Not that she could get away with that being this corporate but since she had plenty of creative freedom, it wasn't hard, had she not been so smug and stubborn.

I love this post, even if I disagree with almost every word of it. It's just so well written.

I especially disagree about the cast though. Yeah, I too prefer the casts of early or mid 00s, but it was still good enough in the late 00s. Watching the show, I still recognize all the girls, even if I can't remember all the names now. I would take this cast over literally any cast in the last ten years.

 

[Lola701]

Oh man, I still hate that collection .. that was around the time when Prada started to rely on "themes" . You could kind of see it coming with the 2007 collections, 2008 brought in the 'cartoon character' notion of style (when I used to think the Prada woman was a little more confident and dignified than that), and by 2009 it all started to spiral down into an identity crisis that progressed into what we have now, with some odd 'I think I know who I am' interludes in Fall 2013 and Fall 2014. With the exception of the last lamé pieces, and only because they're rather simple, what is there to keep 12 years later? a crumbled ugly bra, skirts with elastics? a tent dress Dries probably did with more soul? its contribution is so minimal.

Most of the girls looked lovely (because that's what that makeup, hair and those earrings will do to most women) but not to further fire on this: this collection/casting/season/time in fashion also symbolizes for me one of the most goddamn boring eras in fashion in terms of beauty.. gone were the Belgians, surreal-looking Brazilians like Ana Claudia Michels/Caroline Ribeiro or commanding Russians like Eugenia Volodina, or even the 'Supreme Management' girls or the doll-looking ones from 04, and don't get me started on quintessential Prada girls like Louise Pedersen and Werbowy, no, we descended into this phase of ultra plain, vanilla, apologetic-looking shapeless blondes that you could hardly tell apart. And the shoe fiasco, which was not exclusive to Lara Stone (I have never seen so many models repeatedly fall in a show) and mostly pertained to logic (loose no-show type of 'socks' in slippery materials in extra high heels) makes a great cocktail with the beauty standards of those years: don't walk too confident, don't stand out too much, blend in but preferably confine your uninteresting personality within the limits of your impractical clothes so you can look charmingly insecure, frail and interchangeable.

I'm sure she may have meant something differently, but this era of Prada exudes stage 1 of the crippling fear of potential irrelevancy as a creator, listen to it too closely as you pat yourself in the back and remind yourself over and over that there's nothing to fear because you're one of a kind, a genius, a trailblazer and you end up where she is and where Hedi is quickly heading to. Humble yourself by going back to student and question and observe and you might end up coming up with your stronger, or at least more meaningful and emotionally fearless work in your later years the way it's worked out for Yohji. Not that she could get away with that being this corporate but since she had plenty of creative freedom, it wasn't hard, had she not been so smug and stubborn.

I kind of feel you so much about that collection. I absolutely love it because on how directional it was. It was undeniably in my eyes, a great collection…
But the wrinkles were so weird. I can remember two collections that looked really weird when produced : SS2009 and SS 2014. I’m still believing that it was a pure fashion exercice for Miuccia and that she never meant to produce them…But they did.

The faces from SS2014 were so scary!

SS2009 looked so sexy and easy but was totally unwearable whereas FW2008 was quite challenging at first but totally wearable.

That being said the platform pumps are still probably some of the best Prada shoes ever. The debacle of the fashion show didn’t stopped me from buying them…

I’ve come to peace with the fact that Prada will never be that great again. I think that maybe the brand is too big, the financial weight to big for Miuccia to create something that connect with her audience again. There was always that fantasy of Miuccia doing things that connects with a certain idea of women. I still consider Miuccia as a style icon but I don’t think that she makes fashion for those active women anymore. I’ll find a new way to appreciate Prada when it’s good but tbh, it’s hard to relate to something I wouldn’t imagine Miuccia wearing. Those oversized bomber jackets doesn’t scream creative integrity for me.
I can respect something bad when I know it still has the creative integrity of the designer. When you get logos à gogo and silliness from Prada it’s hard to get on board.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ You know, the wrinkles— especially on the more simpler white shifts, instantly reminded me of Comme’s S/S 93 monastic simplicity. But the brilliance of a classic proper 1950s ladylike, bourgeoisie silhouette, deconstructed so casually and re-contextualized to the image of what was held at the end of the 2000s to be the ideal high fashion model and attitude: Impossibly tall, impossibly slender and lithe, classically beautiful, and effortlessly dripping with sex appeal. Did Rizzo styled the show? It’s so deliciously naughty and intimating: The ideal of a blue-blood Grace Kelly-type casually romping about in her proper dress suit undone; all wrinkled, untucked, unbuttoned, unbound and unbothered, but hair and makeup still immaculately perfect, down to the teardrop pearl earrings. The cinematic imagery deserves a film to go with it. It never crosses into parody and caricature, unlike Jeremy Scott’s Moschino. It’s Miuccia at her slyly subversive best, most haughtily naughty and absolutely, provocative, cheeky.

And this platform pump— of course you own them! The footwear of the late-2000s will be highly coveted, revered and be favoured as a great contender in the Parthenon of fashion design. These platforms, along with Nicolas’ Balenciaga’s lego shoe and McQueen’s Giger’s Alien platforms, are such a masterful combination of gaudy maximalism, high decadence and uncompromising ostentatious statement. Just like no one is ever safe nor gentile driving a Lamborghini. (Whereas with this era, it’s all so cartoony, oversized childish-orthopaedic, stripped off any sexuality and feminine allure. Of course.)