Prada

Prada S.p.A. is an Italian luxury fashion house. It was started in 1913 in Milan by Mario Prada. At first, the company sold goods brought in from England. In the 1970s, they began using special waterproof nylon fabrics. This change was led by Miuccia Prada, the founder's granddaughter, and her husband, Patrizio Bertelli.

In the 1990s, Prada became famous for its unique and creative designs. Around this time, Miuccia Prada also started a smaller brand called Miu Miu. This brand is part of the Prada company. Prada also worked with LVMH to help with business decisions for another fashion brand, Fendi.

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Prada had some difficulties. But the brand became popular again in the 2020s. As Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli got older, they let their children help lead the company. Today, Prada makes billions of euros each year and is very popular with people who love fashion.

History

The company started in 1913 by Mario Prada and his brother Martino as Fratelli Prada, a leather goods shop in Milan. The shop sold imported English steamer trunks, handbags, travel accessories, beauty cases, jewellery, and luxury items.

Mario Prada opened an exclusive store in Milan’s prestigious Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II that sold leather bags, trunks, beauty cases, jewels, luxury accessories, and rare objects.

Prada did not believe women should have a role in business, so he prevented female family members from entering his company. Mario's daughter Luisa succeeded Mario and ran Prada for almost twenty years. Luisa's daughter, Miuccia Prada, joined the company in 1970, eventually taking over from Luisa in 1978.

Miuccia began making waterproof backpacks out of Pocono, a nylon fabric. She met Patrizio Bertelli in 1977, and he joined the company soon after. He advised Miuccia on company business, which she followed.

Miuccia inherited the company in 1978. With Bertelli alongside her, Miuccia was allowed time to add her creative ideas to the company's designs. She released her first set of backpacks and totes in 1979. They were made out of a tough black nylon. Initial success was slow, but the lines became popular. Next, Miuccia and Bertelli sought out wholesale accounts for the bags in upscale stores worldwide. In 1983, Prada opened a second boutique in the centre of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. The next big release was a nylon tote. That same year, the house of Prada began expansion across continental Europe and the United States by opening locations in prominent shopping districts within Florence, Paris, Madrid, and New York City. A shoe line was also released in 1984. In 1985 Miuccia released the "classic Prada handbag" that became very popular. Its sleek lines and craftsmanship had a luxury that has become the Prada signature.

In 1987, Miuccia and Bertelli married. Prada launched its women's ready-to-wearing collection in 1988. Prada's popularity increased when the fashion world noticed its clean lines, opulent fabrics, and basic colours.

The logo for the label was not as obvious as those on bags from other prominent luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton. It tried to market its lack of prestigious appeal by projecting an image of "anti-status" or "inverse snobbery".

Prada's originality made it one of the most influential fashion houses, and the brand became a premium status symbol in the 1990s.

Sales were reported at L 70 billion, or US$31.7 million, in 1998. Patrizio di Marco took charge of the growing business in the United States. Prada's continued success was attributed to its "working-class" theme. Furthermore, Miuccia and Bertelli led the Prada label on a cautious expansion.

In 1992, the high fashion brand Miu Miu, named after Miuccia's nickname, launched. Miu Miu catered to younger consumers and celebrities. By 1993, Prada was awarded the Council of Fashion Designers of America award for accessories.

The first ready-to-wearing menswear collection was Spring/Summer 1998. By 1994, sales were at US$210 million, with clothing sales accounting for 20%. Prada won another award from the CFDA, in 1995 as a "designer of the year" 1996 witnessed the opening of the 18,000 ft² Prada boutique in Manhattan, New York, the largest in the chain at the time. By now the House of Prada operated in 40 locations worldwide, 20 of which were in Japan. The company owned eight factories and subcontracted work from 84 other manufacturers in Italy. Prada's and Bertelli's respective businesses were merged to create Prapar B.V. in 1996. The name, however, was later changed to Prada B.V., and Patrizio Bertelli was named Chief Executive Officer of the Prada luxury company.

1996 can also be seen as marking an important turning point in Prada's aesthetics. Journalists praised Miuccia's development of an “ugly chic” style. Since then, Prada has been regarded as one of the most intelligent and conceptual designers.

In 1997, Prada posted revenue of US$674 million. Another store in Milan opened that same year. Bertelli also acquired shares in the Gucci group. In June 1998, Bertelli gained 9.5% return on investment at US$260 million. In 1998, the first Prada menswear boutique opened in Los Angeles.

Prada was determined to hold a leading portfolio of luxury brands. Prada purchased 51% of Helmut Lang's company based in New York for US$40 million in March 1999. Months later, Prada paid US$105 million to have full control of Jil Sander A.G., a German-based company. The purchase gained Prada a foothold in Germany. A joint venture between Prada and the De Rigo group was also formed that year to produce Prada eyewear. In October 1999, Prada joined with LVMH and beat Gucci to buy a 51% stake in the Rome-based Fendi S.p.A. These acquisitions elevated Prada to the top of the luxury goods market in Europe. Despite apparent success, the company was still in debt.

The company's merger and purchasing sprees slowed in the 2000s. Skincare products in unit doses were introduced in the United States, Japan, and Europe in 2000. To help pay off debts of over US$850 million, the company planned on listing 30% of the company on the Milan Stock Exchange in June 2001. However, the offering slowed down after a decline in spending on luxury goods in the United States and Japan. In 2001, under the pressure of his bankers, Bertelli sold all of Prada's 25.5% share in Fendi to LVMH.

By 2006, the Helmut Lang, Amy Fairclough, Ghee, and Jil Sander labels were sold. Jil Sander was sold to the private equity firm Change Capital Partners. Prada is still recovering from the Fendi debt.

In July 2016, Prada began selling its clothing online through Net-a-Porter and Mytheresa in response to changing consumer preferences.

In February 2020, Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli named the Belgian designer Raf Simons as co-creative director.

In August 2020, the fashion house announced it would no longer use kangaroo leather in its products.

In April 10, 2025, Prada acquired Versace from Capri Holdings group for 1.25 billion euros. In December 2025, Capri Holdings announced the acquisition has been completed. With the acquisition of Versace, Prada begins to lay the foundations for the creation of a large Italian fashion group that can rival the French ones. Donatella Versace stepped down as creative director after 27 years at the company and is now the brand’s chief ambassador. Dario Vitale was appointed as Versace’s chief creative officer after her.

Businesses today

Runway shows

Prada has special fashion shows several times a year in Milan, often in their own buildings. Their first women's show was in Milan in 1988, and the first men's show was in 1998. In 2019, a show was held in New York City and shown on big screens in Times Square. Famous people like actors have walked in Prada's shows. The music for these shows is made by Frédéric Sanchez.

Boutiques

Prada has asked famous architects to design their big stores around the world. The first Prada store opened in Milan in 1913. Over the years, new stores opened in many cities such as New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, and more. In 2012, Prada opened a huge store in Dubai.

Other activities

In 2007, Miuccia Prada helped design clothes for two digital characters in the movie Appleseed Ex Machina. In 2010, she made costumes for Attila by Giuseppe Verdi, which first showed at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. She also worked on costumes for Baz Luhrmann’s film The Great Gatsby with costume designer Catherine Martin in 2013.

Prada started making glasses in 1999 with a partner but later sold this to Luxottica in 2003. In 2004, Prada began making perfumes with the Puig company, adding men’s scents in 2006. Later, L'Oreal Group took over this part of the business in 2021.

In 2007, Prada also began making mobile phones with LG Electronics, creating some of the first smartphones, like the LG Prada (KE850). Prada made watches from 2007 to 2012. In 2024, Prada worked with Axiom Space to design special clothing for astronauts for NASA’s Artemis III mission.

Prada in popular culture

Films

The 2006 movie The Devil Wears Prada, based on a book by Lauren Weisberger, starred Meryl Streep. Her character wore many Prada shoes. Anna Wintour, a famous fashion editor, also wore Prada to the movie’s first showing.

Art

In 2005, artists built "Prada Marfa" in Texas. It looked like a Prada store but was designed to blend into nature. Real Prada shoes and bags were used. After it was broken into, the artists decided to leave it there forever.

Brand Ambassadors

Since 2023, the K-pop group ENHYPEN have been faces of Prada, often wearing the brand’s clothes at big events and concerts.

Controversy

2009 discrimination case

In 2010, Prada had a big lawsuit about how they treated workers. A former worker said the company treated women unfairly, especially about their age and looks. The court decided that what Prada did was okay for a fancy fashion company, but the case made people talk about how companies should treat their workers.

Labour rights

Prada bought materials from a factory in Turkey that did not treat its workers well. Groups that care about workers’ rights asked Prada to help make sure workers could join together without being punished. There were also worries that Prada might have been using factories where people were forced to work in very hard conditions.

Ostrich leather

In 2015, a story said that some luxury brands, including Prada, used skin from ostriches in their products. Some people were upset because they thought the way the skin was taken from the birds was not kind.

Blackface imagery

In 2018, Prada had to stop selling some items because people said they looked like old, hurtful images of Black people. Prada said they were very sorry and promised to do better. They also started a group to help make sure all people are treated with respect.

Investigation on tax evasion

In 2014, experts looked at Prada to see if they were hiding money they should have paid taxes on. The leaders of the company had to pay a large amount of money to settle the issue, and the looking was stopped because the money was paid.

Appropriation of Indian traditional clothes

Prada made shoes that looked a lot like traditional Indian shoes but did not give credit to the people who made them. After people said this was not fair, Prada worked with Indian groups to make special shoes that help Indian workers learn new skills and earn fair pay. These special shoes went on sale in 2026.