Mario Prada | Founder Of The Renowned Fashion House Prada

Mario Prada was an Italian fashion designer and businessman. He was born in Milan, Italy, and is famously known as the founder of the Italian luxury fashion house Prada. The brand initially originated in 1913. The company’s product line includes leather handbags, travel accessories, shoes, ready-to-wear, perfumes, and other fashion accessories. It has an annual revenue of more than $4 billion. 

Early Life and Founding of Prada

Mario Prada and his brother Fratelli Prada, famously known as the Prada Brothers, founded the fashion house in 1913. The company had its headquarters in Milan, Italy. The shop sold leather goods and imported English steamer trunks and handbags. Mario Prada did not believe that women should have a role in business, so he prevented female family members from entering his company. Mario Prada’s son harbored no interest in the industry, so Mario’s daughter Luisa Prada took the helm of Prada as his successor and ran it for almost twenty years. Her daughter, Miuccia Prada, joined the company in 1970, eventually taking over for her mother in 1978.

Beginning of Prada

Prada became a significant status symbol in the 1990s. The sales touched $31.7 million in 1998. Patrizio di Marco, who was earlier working for the house in Asia, took over the growing business in the United States of America. The company launched men’s ready-to-wear collections in the mid-1990s. The sales were at $210 million by 1994, with clothing accounting for 20% of it. In 1997, the brand made a revenue of $674 million and opened another store in Milan, Italy, in the same year.

The 2008 Fashion Show Mishap

On 23 September 2008, Prada organized their Spring/Summer 2009 Ready-to-Wear fashion show in Milan. The show got infamous coverage because all the models of the show were stumbling and staggering. Two models stumbled down in front of the photographers, and some took off their heels to walk. One more model, Sigrid Agren, had to stop and go back during the final walk as it was difficult for her to keep walking in her high heels any longer. One model interviewed right after the show declared: “I had a panic attack; my hands were shaking. The heels were so high.” The designer Miuccia Prada did not blame the height of the shoes, but the little silk socks inside, which were slippery and moved inside the shoes, preventing the models’ feet from having a correct grip on the sole.

Present Time

In February 2020, Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli named the Belgian designer Raf Simons as co-creative director. It was announced in August 2020 that the fashion house would no longer use kangaroo leather in its products. The same year, fashion magazine Vanity Teen promoted its Prada Resort 21 campaign.

Recent Update:

In 2022, Mario Prada’s granddaughter, Miuccia Prada announced that Prada will be returning to Beijing, China for its runway show. For eleven years, Prada was not staging its runway shows in China’s capital.Prada’sr, Prada might be the only luxury house showcasing its designs in China this year. After the lockdown restrictions have eased in Beijing, the brand has decided to make a comeback to the country.

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