Day one of Fashion Week Milan. Prada was about to open, and I found myself thinking about the interview the Financial Times ran in their weekend edition. There were parts I really loved, and even though the show has come and gone (those skirts!), they're worth coming back to.
Miuccia Prada on Instinct, Small Shows, and Staying Interested
How the Prada and Simons Partnership Actually Works
Right now the creative dynamic at Prada is one of equal parts. Miu Miu is still Prada's sole responsibility. "We always had a big respect for each other," says Simons. "So, if I come up with an idea and she says, 'Oh, I love that,' it's the ultimate kind of affirmation."
"The only rule," says Ms. Prada, "is if somebody hates it, we don't do it."
Actually, they often do. The last menswear collection was an interrogation of Ms. Prada's long hatred of jeans. "I hate them," she drawls. "And I have never worn them. But we wanted to work on something clean." Hence, the show offered lots of jeans and denim jackets, all cut in a lean, fitted silhouette.
Three Questions from a 2004 New Yorker Profile
In a 2004 profile in The New Yorker magazine, Ms. Prada insisted that her designs had to satisfy three questions: Do I like the clothes? Will they sell? And are they new?
Is the same true today? Does she like the clothes? Yes. Are they new? Yes. Will they sell? She wrinkles her nose.
Why Instinct Drives Everything at Prada
Prada collections are typically, deliberately unpredictable. Instinct is a huge word in the duo's vocabulary. "I'm interested in doing something different," says Ms. Prada. "It's about the instinct of fashion. I've been like this since I was a 14-year-old girl and I will stop the moment I'm not interested in fashion in that sense."
That instinct, that immediate trust in creative intuition, is what keeps the house moving forward. It reminds me of Takahiro Hosoda's book on creative intuition, where he breaks down how that kind of instinctive knowing actually works.
Smaller Shows Let You See One Woman in Different Moments
"I wanted to go back to the idea of doing a smaller show and having fewer people and a smaller cast like I used to do at the beginning where I had Kate Moss doing five changes," says Ms. Prada.
"Plus, a small cast allows you to see the same woman in different moments in her life or day or week, and dressing and dressing," adds Simons. "You couldn't put 40 looks on 40 girls and still have that impact."
And you know, I think it's so true.
A Grandparent Who Takes No Meetings Until 2:30
Here's a part that shows a more human side to her. She's shortly to become a grandparent for the second time.
"First of all, I don't take any appointments until 2:30 p.m. because my first comes to eat with me," she beams. "She makes me smile and she's so clever, so curious. And now another is coming."
"We are not going to see you anymore," says Simons. You can see a little bit of their banter.
Dressing Is What Keeps Her Aesthetically Happy
"When you get older, I don't know how to put it, but you don't go dancing, you have less distractions. So dressing is one of the things that keeps you aesthetically happy."
Work makes her happy? "Yes. And the moment I do not feel, I will stop. But actually, at the moment, I like fashion a lot."
That's what I took away from the interview. Still interested. Still doing it because she wants to. And the show? Incredible.
