“I want to incite women to fight.” This is how she sums up the goal of her creations that went down the runway on September 19th in Milan, for Spring/Summer 2014. The label’s entire universe is distilled in each of these passages. Ever since she took over the brand’s ready-to-wear line in 1989, Miuccia Prada has never ceased to be surprising. This Ph.D. in political science is intimate with activism, and prone towards the use of a certain natural weapon. Secretary of the Communist Party of Milan in her youth, she acquired an intrepid character and a militant trajectory. This same spirit can be found in her expressions within the art world. Her signature? A falsely classical look that she invented, and that she strives to defend, like a novelty. Without ever closing herself up in her own style, Miuccia Prada is here signing off on a bold, fantasy, and plighted line. She transforms bras into pieces that take it upon themselves to manifest on top. An off-kilter seduction can be found on her dresses with rigorous wrappings and Warhol-esque graphic design. It is through this same insolence that she exacts her revenge.
The 60s fur coat worn by model Lindsey Wixson deliciously materializes this sleek femininity. Rich and vibrant in blunt colors, her composition reveals a rare collaboration, inspired by the political mural art of Mexican artists. Indeed, Miuccia Prada called out to six contemporary artists (four graffiti artists and two illustrators) to represent “a strong and active woman”; this was their only guideline. And so, Mesa, Jeanne Detallante, Pierre Mornet, Stinkfish, El Mac, and Gabriel Specter are each imagining a portrait of a determined woman who is impervious to resignation. The result? A piece that acquires a cerebral touch, chock full of influences, artsy, and tinted with admitted bizarreness upon contact with the raw designs of an expressive and brazen face, taken to the next level by a nod to 80s aesthetics that’s recognizable in the masterful impertinence of the color choices. A number of inspiration boards in 2014 will no doubt have their roots here!
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