Prada Invites is a series of collaborative projects that sees three renowned architects put a fresh spin on Prada’s iconic nylon fabric.
In the ’80s, at a time when fashion championed extravagance and excess, the idea of a discreet backpack crafted from industrial-grade nylon seemed almost inconceivable. It was Miuccia Prada who challenged the status quo, resulting in the transformation of a dull synthetic textile commonly used in the manufacture of tents and parachutes into one of fashion’s hottest commodities. The designer’s master stroke not only changed the fortunes of the brand she inherited from her grandfather, it also signalled the fledgling luggage company’s burgeoning ambitions to become a game-changer in fashion.
In the three decades that followed, she instilled the same non-conformist lean into her works for the Italian marque. A reverential and influential figure, her radical approach subverts the traditional notions of beauty, resulting in collections that are never literal or linear in their narratives. Through it all, nylon remains an integral back story to the Prada universe—even though an assortment of materials such as lace, studs, cable knits, and paillette embroidery have been utilised by the designer on the runways as part of her paradoxical retelling of femininity.
Perhaps Miuccia Prada was already planning a nylon renaissance for the catwalk when she presented austere uniforms for both sexes cut from swaths of the inky fabric at her men’s fall/winter 2015 collection. Since then, nylon has often popped up as a contextual accent to her collections; its utilitarian connotation the perfect contrast to trimmings of feathers and layers of organza. The brand’s nylon movement climaxed last season with Prada Invites, an initiative which saw the designer enlist Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Konstantin Grcic, Herzog & de Meuron, and Rem Koolhaas to reimagine the fabric as part of her men’s fall/winter 2018 collection. From an art folder to a contemporary interpretation of a fishing vest, they have injected an intellectual bent into nylon with their points of view.
To further the conversation, she unveiled the second instalment of Prada Invites at the women’s spring/summer 2019 show. It was an all-female line-up this time: Leading architects Cini Boeri, Elizabeth Diller and Kazuyo Sejima were given free rein to create special pieces from nylon. Shown alongside Miuccia Prada’s mix of baby-doll dresses, tie-dye skirts and embellished headbands, the results (now available in stores) reflected the perspectives of each architect. Diller, for example, created two unique pieces for the project that showed off her penchant for duality: A garment bag that converts into dress, plus a shoulder vest that doubles up as a clutch. “I like to start with something familiar, then turn it around or change one detail to change its meaning. Both of these objects have that wit. I think that outside of the sort of ironic twist, both are elegant and very wearable,” explained the 64-year-old Diller, whose body of work include New York’s High Line and installation designs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Prada’s history as trunk-makers, as well as the evolution of nylon, also became Diller’s starting points. She added: “I began to think about bringing functionality into a more artistic realm to transform it into something unexpected. I think that is an alignment with Miuccia and the way she thinks. Everything that we do is essential, but also expressive— functional and flexible without being generic.” That sense of purpose was also exemplified in Boeri’s creation. “By training I tend to design the indispensable, eliminating the superfluous. I believe that an object that is easy to use is in itself welldesigned,” Boeri explained. The 94-year-old Italian architect’s modus operandi revolves around the concept of improving and simplifying our way of living, so for Prada Invites she followed up with a messenger bag reworked with expandable and removable modules to suit the different needs of its users.
“It is difficult today to design an object that says something new, that has a certain flexibility of use. The only clear stimulus that I feel is to get away from all those eccentric forms that have invaded our planet in recent years and think of something that can be seen and used quietly and pleasingly from yesterday to eternity. That is what I have tried to do,” Boeri explained.
Elsewhere, Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima brought a sense of fun to the table. The 62-year-old translated her study of the relationship and interaction between architecture and space into two whimsical bags with brightly coloured puffs attached that resembled inflatable floats. Sejima said of her creations: “A bag is something that is always close to your body. At times you end up hugging it, and other times you put it over your shoulder: Much like a pet. And because it’s your own ‘pet’, it is important to be able to personalise the bag—shape, accessories, the way you hold it, the way you use it, and where you take it.”
Prada Invites joins a long list of fruitful endeavours that narrows the divide between fashion and art. And Miuccia Prada’s decision to tap into the minds of these creative geniuses from various disciplines is also a reflection of how she finds inspiration in other realms of design. These interdisciplinary partnerships encourage dialogues—a vital extension of Miuccia Prada’s thought processes that ultimately manifest in the clothes she creates and the times they are created for.
