Prada S.p.A. is an
Italian fashion label specializing in luxury goods for men and women (ready-to-wear, leather accessories, shoes, luggage and hats), founded by
Mario Prada. The label is referred to by some people as a
status symbol.
History
Foundations
The company was started in 1913 by Mario Prada and his brother Martino as a leathergoods shop -
Fratelli Prada (
English: Prada Brothers) - in
Milan,
Italy.
Mario Prada did not believe that women should have a role in business, and so he prevented female family members from entering into his workshop. Ironically, Mario's son harbored no interest in the business, so it was his daughter Luisa Prada 1996 witnessed the opening of the 18,000 ft² Prada boutique in Manhattan, New York, the largest in the chain at the time. Skin care products in unit doses were introduced in the United States, Japan and Europe in 2000. A 30-day supply of cleansing lotion was marketed at the retail price of US$100.
Prada is the main buyer from the Turkish leather factory DESA, which was found guilty by the Turkish Supreme Court of illegally dismissing workers who joined a union. The Clean Clothes Campaign, a labor rights organization based in Europe, has called on Prada to ensure that freedom of association is respected at the factory.
Businesses today
Runway shows
Prada, along with
Calvin Klein and
Gucci, is known for the practice of casting new models to walk exclusively in their runway shows. Usually, one of the models chosen as an exclusive will open a Prada show. An exclusive or opening spot in a Prada show is among the most coveted bookings in the modeling world. Previous Prada exclusives and openers who have gone on to success in the fashion world include
Daria Werbowy,
Gemma Ward,
Suvi Koponen and
Sasha Pivovarova, who went on to appear in Prada's ad campaigns for six consecutive seasons after opening the Prada fall 2005 runway show.
Prada boutiques
in
Milan,
Italy.]]
, Italy.]]
Prada has commissioned architects, most notably
Rem Koolhaas and
Herzog & de Meuron, to design flagship stores in various locations. A duplex megastore was opened in
Kuala Lumpur at the
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur in late 2008. Prada commissioned an unusual multi-purpose building called the
Prada Transformer in
Seoul. And 2009 saw the opening of a new store on Corso Venezia, Milan, designed by architect Robert Baciocchi, focussing on the Prada
Made to Order collection.
*North America
*Atlanta (opening 2011)
*New York City in SoHo, on Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue
*Beverly Hills
*Costa Mesa
*Chicago
*San Francisco
*Bal Harbour
*Las Vegas (The Crystals, The Shoppes at the Palazzo, Bellagio)
*Ala Moana Center
*Waikiki
*Aspen
*Manhasset, New York
*Toronto
*Europe
*Milan
*Rome
*Florence
*Capri
*Venice
*Naples
*Forte dei Marmi
*London (Sloane Street, Old Bond Street, Heathrow Airport, Westfield London)
*Paris (Avenue Montaigne, Printemps, Rue de Grenelle)
*Prague
*Monaco (Montecarlo Donna, Montecarlo Uomo)
*Moscow
*Athens
*Vienna
*Düsseldorf
*Frankfurt
*Hamburg
*Munich
*Berlin
*Madrid
*Istanbul
*Lisbon (Avenida da Liberdade)
*Asia
*Tokyo - many outlets, including the iconic Herzog & de Meuron building in Aoyama
*Taiwan - Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, total of 7 stores
*Korea - Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Jeju, Sungnam, total of 22 stores
** Prada Transformer installed next to the Gyeonghui Palace in Seoul
*Kuala Lumpur (Pavilion KL megastore, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Suria KLCC)
*Jakarta, Indonesia (Plaza Senayan, Plaza Indonesia)
* Singapore: The Paragon flagship, ION Orchard flagship (9,500 square feet)
*Manila, Philippines (Greenbelt (Ayala Center))
*Bangkok, Thailand (Gaysorn Plaza, The Emporium)
*Hong Kong: at Harbour City, opposite to H&M; of Silvercord, Tsim Sha Tsui
* China: 7 stores
*Qatar
*Oceania
*Sydney, New South Wales (Martin Place (Flagship))
*Melbourne, Victoria (Crown Casino, Collins Street (Flagship), Chadstone Shopping Centre)
*Surfers Paradise, Queensland
*Cairns, Queensland
*Perth, Western Australia(Opening Mid 2010)
*Auckland (DFS Galleria, Customs House)
LG Prada cell phone
In May 2007, Prada joined forces with
cell phone maker
LG Electronics to produce the
LG Prada KE850 phone. The retail price was $800.
In 2009, KF900, the second generation of the phone, was launched in Europe. With 3G capability, the phone featured a new sliding QWERTY keyboard, which made it bulkier, but functional. The phone also worked with the new Prada Link watch, which users can use to view text messages via a Bluetooth connection to their phone.
Prada in culture
The Devil Wears Prada is a 2003 novel about a ruthless, short tempered boss, who is the renowned editor-in-chief of Runway, a fictional version of Vogue, and wears designer clothes, such as Prada and Hermès. Its 2006 film adaptation stars Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.
An American metalcore band also took the name The Devil Wears Prada.
In 2005, a pair of Scandinavian artists, Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, unveiled , a sculpture masquerading as a Prada mini-boutique, called Prada Marfa, nearby the towns of Valentine and Marfa in western Texas. Located along an isolated stretch of U.S. Highway 90, the 15-by-25-foot adobe and stucco building was partially funded by the Prada Foundation, with the assistance of American architects Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello. To the dismay of potential shoppers, the doors were sealed shut.
References
Category:Companies established in 1913
Category:Clothing companies of Italy
Category:Clothing brands
Category:High fashion brands
Category:Luxury brands
Category:Companies based in Milan
![Still Fly- The Devil Wears Prada [with lyrics =]](http://web.archive.org./web/20101218135857im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qxwhqcdedRw/2.jpg "Still Fly- The Devil Wears Prada [with lyrics =]")
