Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons have intertwined the boundaries between a fashion utopia and reality, with a collection that is a mélange of buzzing, playful clothing with timeless pieces.
The location of the video was a celebration of Italian summers, Italy’s stunning locations and a love for nature. The red tunnel installed inside Fondazione Prada in Milan, became the portal to an idyllic sandy beach with crystal clear water in Sardinia.
Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, both extremely passionate about their job, have made it their priority to infuse their collection with simplicity, joy and the magical sensation of the human touch.
Their spring 2022 collection has an effortless, an exuberant spirit, and it felt authentic to the brand whilst still pushing their creative designs in an edgy, quirky way that only Prada can master.
“The world is so complicated — so overcomplicated — we can lose the essence of human life,” Prada said in the notes sent to reviewers after the show. “This is an idea I have been interested in for a number of seasons, and which we have been exploring in different ways. We come from previous collections that were all about technicality, machines, that reflect the necessity of technology. Now, we are thinking of the opposite. Human, real. Our interest in technology came from its place as a communication tool for humanity. But this expression is much more direct.”
Miuccia noted how the collection was all about capturing the joy of the everyday life: “The notion that living your life can be a euphoric experience,” she continued. “Much joy can come out of something so simple: when times are complicated, we are searching for simple, direct joys. An innocence.”
She made a take on “innocence” by bringing to high fashion items such as the romper, shown with rolled-up cuffs and displayed in different variations, from monochromatic options to more extravagant printed patterns, also including stripes.
“The show represents a transition — between a tunnel, an urban space and the sea. We don’t feel it should be complicated — the story is pure, direct. A move from indoors to outdoors. After constriction, the power of that feeling of infinity, an endless horizon. It gives you the feeling of freedom again. It’s human nature,” Simons said. “What we are interested in is: How can these two moments, these two environments, fuse together? A contrast between the system of the fashion industry — the runway — and nature. We started in the previous fall show to introduce these moments of different behavior from the cast, and here, you see the models in another context, another environment, a different reality. You see them be totally free, in reality. It’s natural.”
The collection fits in between a fashion utopia and the experience of the daily life. Simple silhouettes were repeated across the collection, in accordance to their environment. The clothes took an an almost shape shifting approach to fashion: the romper became a uniform in a dark navy colour styled with brogues, or displayed an effortless, yet elegant vibe when executed in white with printed with sea motifs and anchor details, layered under boat-neck sweaters with crisscross details.
The collection included crop tops with squared necklines, matched with relaxed pants or short pants, and hoodies in surfer prints. Prada and Simons have made the brand a staple for hype beasts. Outerwear felt extremely minimal in the collection: simple trenches and car coats dominate the show with their exuberant colours. Then the collection spins aesthetics all the way to an edgier, more lived-in vintage Prada appeal with their leather jackets.
The shorts are so short that can pass as miniskirts, the bucket hats with the triangle pouch on the back brim are every streetwear dream, and the striped knits were a genius selling point of the collection whilst maintaining a creative approach.
Words by Tommaso Donati
