October 16, 2017 |
Story time: many moons ago, in the Jing’an district of old Shanghai, the esteemed mercantile family of Yung Tsoong-King held residence in Rong Zhai, one of Shanghai’s finest Western-style garden villas. Mr. King was, after all, The Flour King of China. But now the historic house has got a new, altogether more fabulous resident, in the form of Miuccia Prada. Not the lady herself, we’re sure she’s very happy in Milan, but her brand – almost 100 years later, the house of Prada will be re-opening the site as a hub of cultural activities that will be open to the public.
The meticulous restoration programme, which begun in 2011 together with architect and renovation specialist Roberto Baciocchi, is now complete, and serves as an emblem of Miuccia Prada’s admiration of Chinese aesthetic heritage and her deep commitment to the city of Shanghai, as evidenced by Prada’s recent Resort show at the site. “Prada has always drawn inspiration from the arts, not least of all architecture.” said Miuccia of the new maison. “China — the country itself and the European perception of it — has maintained a valued place in the imagination of Prada”. Prada are good at this.
Closer to home, other renovation projects include the very grand sounding Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, as well as the palazzo Ca’ Corner della Regina, a baroque-era palace on the Grand Canal in Venice, now reconfigured as an art space. Isn’t Miuccia nice?
