April 25, 2019 |
If you trust an architect to build a house you live in, why not trust them with your most important valuables too? We can only assume that was the question one of the designers in the studio posed to Mrs Miuccia when pitching the Prada Invites project. It first launched with the AW18 menswear collection, when Bouroullec brothers, Konstantin Grcic, Herzog & de Meuron and Rem Koolhaas interpreted the house’s signature pocone black nylon with their own architectural signatures. The outcome was a capsule collection of accessories and ready-to-wear pieces oozing with an elevated sense of intelligence – just like you would expect from Prada, but even more collectible.
A season later, the focus shifted onto womenswear as Miuccia enrolled three award-winning (female) architects to do their own thing. Cini Boeri, Elizabeth Diller and Kazuyo Sejima each designed pieces that were part of the SS19 show. In this case, luxury wasn’t about visual opulence, but an understanding of the quality of design and functionality, celebrating the creative gold that comes out of of intersectionality. Three different perspectives on life, three totally different aesthetics and interpretations of what Prada nylon is supposed to do.
First up – Kazuyo Sejima. The Japanese architect is all about graphic shapes and clean surfaces – this translated into two bags with multicoloured nylon pendant purses. Playful but functional, one is a shoulder bag while the other can also be used as a scarf, hailing back to the multifunction aspect of Prada’s designs. Liz Diller designed two pieces as well – the Envelope dust-bag-turn-dress and the Yoke, a utility clutch that can also be worn as a harness/ backpack. Living legend Cini Boeri crafted a handbag that at first looks like it comes directly from the Prada archives, but is actually engineered to be expanded or reduced according to situation and need.
Launching today online and in selected Prada boutiques worldwide, the Prada Invites collection is a shoppable example of great design. While you may not be able to afford to get Sejima to design our new house, you can indeed wrap ourselves in one of her nylon scarves. That is, if you get them before they sell out. Race you to Prada!
The women’s Prada Invites collection is available to shop online and in selected stores.
