Prada is one of the most famous fashion houses of our time, which every season pleases fashionistas and fashionistas not only with new clothing collections, but also with collections of accessories, shoes, perfumes and, more recently, gadgets. But it all started with a small bag shop in Milan, and like all established brands, Prada’s development path was not easy. Today we look at what the Prada story really is.
The history of Prada
The year was 1913, when the almost unknown Mario Prada decided to open small shop in Milan and sell elegant travel bags there own production. This is how the first Prada store appeared in Milan; by the way, the headquarters of the Prada fashion house is still located in Milan. Thanks to the use of exotic materials, namely soft walrus leather, Prada quickly gained popularity among the elite throughout Europe and subsequently throughout the world. While trademark was called "Fratelli Prada", which meant the Prada Brothers. Only when Mario's daughter, Louise Prada, became the head of the company, the brand received its modern abbreviated name Prada.
Louise Prada
In 1958, Louise Prada, the daughter of the founder of the fashion house, Mario Prada, became the head of the company and determined new trends in the development of the brand - entering new markets, or rather the American accessories market. Prada subsequently entered the American market in 1970. The most attractive thing for American aristocrats of that time was the use of exclusive materials for the manufacture and finishing of Prada bags - crystals, expensive woods and tortoise shells. But despite their elegance and exclusivity, Prada bags were considered bulky for everyday use and sold very poorly.
Miucia Prada heads the fashion house
In 1979, when the Prada fashion house was facing a financial crisis, it was decided to appoint Miucia Prada, the granddaughter of the creator of the Prada brand, as head of the company. Subsequently, this decision will lead Prada to the world-famous brand that the company is now.
Miucia Prada
Having slightly improved the company's financial position, new director Prada - Miucia, decides to create a new direction in its products - ready-to-wear designer clothing.
First Prada collection
After many years, or rather 10 years after the appointment of Mario Prada's granddaughter as director of the company, Prada decided to develop a new product segment - designer clothing, and in 1989 Prada debuted with the first collection of pret-a-porte designer clothing. This collection was designed in soothing colors and the predominant color was black. All lines were simple and elegant without any sharp transitions, cuts or contrasts. Literally immediately after the release of the first ready-to-wear collection, Prada received its regular customers who preferred elegant chic in clothes and accessories.
It was thanks to the first clothing collection that Prada gained fame not only as an accessories brand, but also as a brand of chic and elegant designer clothing. Pradacreates a brandMiu Miu
Miucia Prada's main brand was doing well, but not all niches were closed in terms of clothing and accessories. Prada has already made an attempt to occupy the niche of youth fashion, but was unable to even reach the level of self-sufficiency and pay off the debts that the unprofitable Roman fashion house Fendi had after being purchased by the fashion house Prada. Prada sold its stake in the Roman fashion house Fendi to the French company LVMH in the early 90s, thereby eliminating the huge costs of maintaining Fendi.
In 1992, Prada decided to create its own youth brand, Miu Miu, the name of which was coined from the abbreviation of the name Miucia Prada. At the moment, Miu Miu produces fashionable designer clothes at affordable prices, but that's another story... Fashion housePradaexpands areas of activity
In the early 90s, Prada expanded its line of accessories with the release of sunglasses own design and under your own brand. Interestingly, the glasses were produced in thick square frames of various colors, which at that time looked very strange and for this they received the nickname “Ugly Prada”. But over time, everyone got used to the unusual novelty, and it was precisely these glasses that became Prada’s calling card.
Later, in collaboration with the Spanish company PUIG, the Prada fashion house acquired its own line of perfumes. 
Already in May 2007, Prada, together with LG Electronics, the manufacturer cell phones and household appliances, they release the first phone under the Prada brand, the model was called LG Prada (KE 850). The cost of the phone was $800, which meant that the phone was not affordable for the average buyer, and only rich people, who were Prada's main buyers, could afford it. 
Subsequently, 2 more phones were released under the Prada brand by the same manufacturer - LG Prada 2 (KF 900) in 2009 and LG Prada 3 (P 940) based on Android at the end of 2011. 
BrandPrada. Modernity
At the moment, Prada is one of the world's largest brands in the production and sale of luxury or premium clothing, shoes and accessories, as they like to call it in our countries. Prada has many stores and boutiques under its brand all over the world, in particular 10 boutiques and 2 large brand stores in America in cities with a population of over a million, such as New York, Los Angeles, Washington, etc.
Also, Prada works as a franchise with many retail chains for clothing, shoes and accessories, which allows fashionistas and fashionistas to enjoy Prada products almost anywhere in the world. You can see all the addresses of branded stores of different brands in our section “Addresses of branded stores” Recently I thought that it might be a good idea to re-watch the movie “The Devil Wears Prada.” A really interesting film with a lot of references to the world of fashion. And the main character, who is so similar to Anna Wintour, is not surprising, however, because the book on which the film was based was written by Wintour’s former assistant. And Demarchelier, who couldn’t help but be mentioned. And, of course, Prada. It is no coincidence that the main character of this film is dressed in Prada, because Prada is a strict style, straight lines, clear silhouettes, rough materials. Clothes are a fortress. Clothing for an iron lady, however, is too soft, rather for a steel lady.
Today Prada produces both clothing and accessories, shoes, and in 2007 Prada even released its own LG Prada (KE850), which sold for $800. Prada is both a fashion house and a brand. Prada's headquarters are located in Milan.
The history of Prada began at the beginning of the twentieth century, more precisely in 1913, when a man named Mario Prada opened a small store in which he sold travel bags. That's right, the history of Prada began with bags. Mario Prado used, among other things, soft skin walruses, a very exotic material, which attracted wealthy clients. In those days the company was called Prada Brothers. After Mario's death, his daughter, Louise Prada, takes over the management of the company. This happened in 1958. At the same time, the company received its name, known to this day - Prada.
By the 1970s, Prada produced truly luxurious bags: decorated with crystals, rare breeds wood, but they no longer generate the same income, and Prada also begins to produce clothing.
Prada bags and perfumes
In 1973, the family business was headed by Mario Prada’s granddaughter, Miuccia (Miuccia) Prada. It was under Miuccia that Prada gained worldwide fame. A line of youth clothing was also launched - Miu Miu, short for the name Miuchiya. Prada also started producing sunglasses with bulky square frames bright colors. These glasses were immediately dubbed “ugly Prada,” but after some time they became real symbols of the brand.
Miuccia Prada was born on May 10, 1949. She is the youngest granddaughter of Mario Prada, the founder of the company. Miuccia is a Doctor of Political Science and Philosophy. As a young woman, she joined the Italian Communist Party and actively fought for the rights of women in Milan. Married. Her husband, Patrizio Bertelli, formerly involved in the sales business, is now also actively involved in the management of the family business, Prada.
Miuccia Prada is today called one of the most influential designers in the fashion world, “the first lady of Italian fashion,” and she is distinguished by her modesty and intelligence. Doesn't like talking to journalists. Her interviews are a rarity. At shows, she only looks out from behind the scenes at the podium for a second, explaining that it would be stupid on her part: “toddling along the catwalk after all my luxurious models is not a good idea.” In her opinion, “a designer cannot be successful if, in addition to his main collections, he does not at least create shoes and bags.” When asked if she wears clothes from other designers, in one of her few interviews, Miuccia Prada replied that yes, but only when “they are either dead or poor.” When asked what the secret of her success is, Miuccia invariably answers only that “she just lives.”
Miuccia Parada's new clothing collection "Autumn-Winter 2012-2013", which was shown in Milan, was dedicated to power. In her new collection, the designer asked herself the question of how power dresses, and decided to give men more power and strength with her clothes. This collection contains many elegant coats, white shirts, formal suits, and vests. And movie stars, for example, Willem Dafoe, Garrett Hedlund, Tim Roth, Adrien Brody, acted as representatives of the authorities on the podium. The scenery was a screen on which there was an image of the Palace of Power, illuminated with neon lights.
Prada spring 2012 collections
Prada is also famous for the architecture of its boutiques, which are located in many major cities around the world. This is how the boutique in Tokyo stands out for its architecture, which has a pentagonal shape and consists of six floors. Its façade is made of diamond-shaped glass and extends into the roof. This boutique is a very memorable building. The Texas Prada boutique is also famous.
The Prada house acquired brands such as Gilles Sander, Helmut Lang, Azzedine. For some time they also owned the Fendi fashion house, but it turned out to be an unprofitable project. And soon it was sold to Michael Jackson, who entrusted its management to his sister. In terms of its influence in the fashion world, Prada today can rival even such a giant of the fashion industry as the corporation.
Prada is a world-famous fashion house that produces collections of branded clothing, shoes and accessories. The entire style of the Prada brand can be described in just two words, which best reflect the internal concept of the brand itself - impeccable elegance, conciseness and restraint. Prada absolutely completely overturns all general ideas about such a concept as sexuality. After all, hard lines and rough-textured materials easily transform the outfits of this brand into the image of an “impregnable fortress,” which adds a special piquancy to the ladies who wear them, making them mysterious and at the same time attractive. The Prada trading house concentrates considerable attention on outerwear and the external simplicity of the overall design of its models, which greatly pleases the fair sex. That's why we decided to delve into the history of the Prada brand and tell lovely fashionistas about the roots of their favorite brand.
History of Prada.
The history of Prada dates back to Milan in 1913. Miuccia Prada's great-grandfather, Mario Prada, who is also the founder of this brand, opened his own business producing shoes and leather bags and registered his brand. In the same year, he opened a small store where he sold these goods. By using soft walrus leather in his bags, Mario was able to attract the attention of highly influential buyers from all over the world. So, Italian, and then European and American aristocrats began to wear shoes from the newly minted couturier and take with them on trips huge leather travel bags that had wooden handles, tortoiseshell decor and crystals with the Prada inscription of the same name. At that time of its inception, the brand was called “Prada Brothers”, but since 1958, Mario Prada’s daughter, Louise Prada, took over the management of the company.
History remembers 1970 as the year when Europe and America saw the first clothing collections under the Prada brand label. These clothes simply radiated sophistication and charm. But as for bags, the demand for them has dropped noticeably. First of all, this situation was due to the fact that they were very bulky and people began to feel discomfort because of this. This was the reason that the company began to face a financial crisis. So, by the middle of the 20th century, the fashion house was not going through the most prosperous times for itself, and by the time Miuccia Prada took over the company in 1970, it was almost on the verge of collapse. But it was Miuccia who managed to inspire the family business into the company new life. So in 1989, the clothing house regained its famous status. In the same year, under the leadership of a new director, the newest line was launched women's shoes and clothes of the pre-da-parte class. This collection included calm tones, where black dominated, and its lines were simple and at the same time refined and did not have sharp transitions or different cuts. After this collection, the Prada house instantly gained enormous sympathy from clients who happily gave their preference to elegance and sophistication.
In the nineties, the Prada brand introduced a new youth brand - Mio Mio. This brand got its name from the abbreviation of the name of the director of the company, Miuccia. In the early 90s, Prada launched her own line of sunglasses, the emergence of which was not immediately approved by the fashion elite. These glasses were characterized by thick square frames bright colors, and after a couple of years these glasses became an indispensable calling card of this brand.
Merger with other companies.
In the early 1990s, the Prada brand acquired the Roman fashion house Fendi, which, due to its debts, began to cause losses for the company. In this regard, Prada divided Fendi with a French company that was involved in the fashion business. But this still did not help keep the unprofitable fashion house Fendi afloat and it had to be sold to the King of Pop Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson handed over control of the company to his younger sister Janet Jackson, who, in turn, renamed the Fendi fashion house to Janet Jackson International fashion house. Today this company produces fashionable clothes, shoes, perfumes, cosmetics, accessories, Jewelry and even furniture.
Fashion house Prada today.
Now Prada has taken up the production of a children's collection of clothing, perfumes and cosmetics under the fashion house's logo of the same name. In short, the brand has significantly expanded its production and has set its sights on high fashion And bohemian style. And all thanks to the irreplaceable Miuccia Prada. It was this woman who was able to create a new image for the company, and her signature style, which suggests that the Prada woman is capable of having a very subtle sense of style, she is romantic and feminine, prefers minimalism, which is very successfully combined with sexuality. Plus, the Prada brand now has its own signature colors - brown, white, black and cream. Celebrities such as Cameron Diaz, Salma Hayek, Paris Hilton and the queen of pop music Madonna also became admirers of the fashion house. And this is a well-deserved success of a great name and great woman Miuccia Prado!
From a family business to a leading international luxury company: the Prada story is one of success. Patrizio Bertelli and Miuccia Prada are the founders of a business model that successfully combines the widest production process with the quality of a small, specialized enterprise.
The Prada company was founded in Milan in 1913 by Mario Prada and began with the production and sale of bags, travel accessories, leather goods, and cosmetic bags. All these products were of exclusive design, made of luxurious materials using sophisticated technologies. The Prada store at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan is still owned by the Prada family and sells luxury leather goods and other accessories. Over the years, the Prada name has gained worldwide fame and prestige. In 1970, Miuccia Prada, who at the time had a degree in political science but had a passion for fashion, began working in the family business.
A turning point in the history of the company was the meeting of Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli in the late 70s. At that time he was engaged in the production of leather products and worked with two companies in the Italian and European markets. One, “Sir Robert”, was located in Arezzo, the other “Granello”, in Parma. Both produced leather goods of the highest quality.
In 1978, Patrizio Bertelli signed an exclusive agreement with Miuccia Prada to produce and distribute Prada-branded collections. This agreement became the basis for the international distribution of Prada products. At the same time, the quality of a small, specialized enterprise has been preserved.
In 1983, Prada opened its second store in a prestigious location on Via della Spiga in order to convey its new image to its customers. The new boutique combines traditional and modern elements and was made in a light green shade - a color that over time became clearly associated with all Prada stores.
In the 80s and 90s, the popularity of Prada branded products grew rapidly and sales skyrocketed. To the main product line (bags, luggage and accessories), shoes and clothing (women's and men's) were added. In 1993, the Miu Miu line was introduced, aimed at younger consumers. In 1997, another additional Prada line appeared - sports, clearly recognizable by the logo on the red stripe.
During the same time, stores were opened in major cities. By December 31, 2003, the number of Prada and Miu Miu boutiques reached 166. The PRADA Group now boasts an empire with a huge turnover with a strong industrial center developed within an organized structure that in turn controls all levels of the production process.
All production activities are coordinated through the management company Prada spa. in Tuscany, a region famous for the production of leather goods and footwear of the highest quality.
Chronology of the development of the Prada group
1982
- Prada's first collection of women's shoes
1983
- Opening of the second Prada boutique in Milan on Via della Spiga
1986
- Opening of the first store in New York
1989
- Prada's first women's clothing collection
1993
- First women's collection Miu Miu - clothes, bags, shoes
1993
- The first men's collection of clothing and shoes
1995
- Founding of Fondazione Prada*
1997
- First Prada Sport collection
1998
- First Miu Miu men's collection - clothes, bags, shoes
2000
- First collection of glasses
2000
- Prada Beauty cosmetics line
2001
- Opening of the first concept store - "Epicenter" in New York, designed by Rem Koolhaas, winner of the 2000 Pritzker Architecture Prize
2002
- Launch of “IWC for Prada” - a limited edition sports automatic chronograph
2003
- Opening of the second “Epicenter” in Tokyo Aoyama, created by Herzog & de Meuron, winner of the 2001 Pritzker Architecture Prize.
2004
- Opening of the third "Epicenter" on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, also designed by Rem Koolhaas, winner of the 2000 Pritzker Architecture Prize
2004
- First Prada fragrance
Prada(pronounced Prada) is an Italian public company specialized in the production fashionable clothes, shoes and accessories, which owns the fashion house and trademark of the same name. The headquarters is located in Milan.
Story
The history of the brand began in Milan, in 1913, when Mario Prada, the founder of the brand, opened a small store selling elegant travel bags. Using exotic soft walrus skin, Mario has managed to attract the attention of influential clients around the world. At that time the company was called Fratelli Prada (“Prada Brothers”). In 1958, Mario Prada's daughter Louise took over the management of the company.
In 1970, Prada clothing collections began to be sold not only in Europe, but also in America. Exquisite aristocratic bags, decorated with crystals, and also decorated with rare woods and tortoise shells, have become an invariable symbol of a luxurious lifestyle. However, despite their visual appeal, Prada bags seemed very bulky, so they were poorly purchased, and the company itself was facing a financial crisis. Then, in 1979, the granddaughter of the brand’s founder, Miuccia Prada, took control of the company.
In 1989, the Prada brand, which by that time was already a fairly well-known company, under the leadership of a new director, Miuccia Prada, demonstrated its first ready-to-wear line of pret-a-porte class. The collection was designed in soothing colors, with a predominance of black. All lines were refined and simple, without any sharp transitions or cuts. By using such an unexpected contrast, Prada instantly won the sympathy of customers who prefer elegant chic.
In 1993, Prada introduced a new brand, Miu Miu (the name was inspired by Miuccia Prada's childhood nickname). Miu Miu is the alter ego of Miuccia Prada, and from the very beginning has served as a platform for new ideas and bold experiments. In the early 90s, she launched her own line of sunglasses. Moreover, the glasses were made in thick square frames of the brightest colors, for which buyers nicknamed them “Ugly Prada.” However, after a few years, glasses turned into business card brand.
It also commercializes perfumes in collaboration with the Spanish company Puig.
Mergers and acquisitions
Prada inherited large debts from the financially unstable Roman fashion house Fendi, acquired in the early years. Prada initially split Fendi with French company LVMH, but found itself unable to raise or keep the money-losing fashion house afloat and subsequently sold its stake to LVMH.
In 1999, the company acquired Church's, an English manufacturer of quality footwear, selling more than 45% of its share to Equinox.
LG Prada mobile phone
In May 2007, Prada joined forces with cell phone manufacturer LG Electronics to create the LG Prada phone (KE850). The phone was selling for $800.
In 2009, sales of the KF900, the second generation of the phone, began in Europe. The phone included support for the standard, as well as a new QWERTY slider keyboard, which, although it made the phone larger, also increased its functionality. The phone was also connected to wristwatch Prada Link via Bluetooth technology, so the wearer could view text messages on the watch display.
At the end of 2011, the third generation of LG Prada was released - the Android smartphone LG P940. Prada III is made in the classic candy bar form factor with a 4.3-inch TFT touch screen NOVA High Brightness Display. Besides stylish appearance the phone is different high level technical characteristics: the device is equipped with a dual-core processor from Texas Instruments with a frequency of 1 GHz, an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus and the ability to record 1080p video, 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory (with the ability to connect microSD), Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi.
Prada store in Milan
Architecture
Prada commissions architects, especially the likes of Rem Koolhaas and Herzog & de Meuron, to create designs for its flagship stores around the world. In 2005, near West Texas, in the towns of Valentine and Marfa, a pair of Scandinavian artists, Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, open the Prada Marfa store, sculpturally masquerading as a mini Prada boutique. Located along an isolated stretch of the U.S. Highway 90, a 15-by-25-foot brick and stucco building, was financed in part by the Prada Foundation.
Boutiques and shops
A significant number of stores operate under the Prada brand in major cities around the world. In particular, in the USA there are 10 boutiques and 2 large stores located in cities such as New York (Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue, Manhasset,
