Runway: Prada F/W '21 Menswear
Yesterday morning Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons debuted their much-anticipated FW 2021 menswear offering and it was nothing short of a spectacular display of collaboration between two of the most impressive minds in the fashion world. Prada worshippers obviously could not sit shoulder-to-shoulder in the glistening, neo-classical Fondazione Prada due to the ongoing pandemic. It seems the age of digital fashion shows are not going anywhere anytime soon, and viewing fashion shows behind a screen leaves a longing for hushed conversations and amazement that would normally ensue as the first Prada model steps onto the runway. But that has not stopped Prada from putting on magical digital shows for the fans and long-time followers of the historic brand and the FW21 Menswear collection did not disappoint.
Even though Prada was unable to deliver a sensory experience in the flesh, when the livestream started and the first model graced the screen, it was clear that the viewers on their laptop and phones were front of mind for both Miuccia and Raf. As the models walked the tesseract, each room they strolled through evoked a sensory response, as they were covered with changing fabrics, textures, and colors. The venue itself seemed to reveal the depth that the power-duo wanted to bring to the fashion world. The models themselves seemed trapped in the cubic rooms they walked within, sometimes breaking into thrashing and animated dances, seemingly sending a message that we viewers at home are not the only ones losing our minds.
The walls and floors of the room were not the only places we saw a clash of texture and color but in each of the looks themselves. Fabrics and textures combined in onion-like layering were at the forefront of the collection. Turquoise leather gloves, teddy-bear woolen overcoats, mohair sweaters, Prada’s signature nylon turtle-necks, and jacquard long-johns in ever-changing patterns (a recurring piece from the collection worn by each of the models). Miuccia and Raf found a harmonious balance of giving us clothes that look as good as they feel.
The long-johns, or as the designers call them “body-suits,” were a stand out from the presentation as they were featured in every look. Raf stated in the post-show Q&A that “[…]we started talking very early on about what kind of piece could represent something very close to the body, literally being almost a representation of the body. We were looking for something that could be maybe a symbolic piece for all these kinds of feelings that we feel right now.”
The designers also commented that the direction for the collection was a little different than the direction of past collections. They did not want to work in a narrative, but rather create a collection about feeling things. Raf and Miuccia, instead of signaling a storyline and direct narrative, wanted to emphasize the stirring of emotions with this collection: staging, setting, music, and decoration. The two designers wanted to depart from the past idea of a story-driven collection and bring forward the idea of spatial design and its importance to them and to clothing.
Check out the full-range from Miuccia and Rafs FW21Menswear collection for Prada below.
