Third Wave Fashion

Fashion Icon Friday: Miuccia Prada

In honor of the opening of the most recent MET exhibit, this week’s fashion icon is Miuccia Prada. She was born in Milan in 1949; then in 1978, Miuccia took over the company her grandfather started with his brother in 1913. Miuccia received a degree in Political Science and had no original intentions of going into the family business of fashion. Prada once said about herself, “I never actually decided to become a designer. Eventually I found that I was one.”

Since then Miuccia Prada has changed the way the world views fashion. Prada gained a huge following in 1985 when they released the simple nylon backpacks that were the “it” accessory of the 90s. In 1988, Miuccia Prada launched a women’s ready-to-wear line; by 1993 she added menswear and started another collection named Miu Miu—after her own nickname.

She’s had quite a successful career—she’s won the CFDA International Award, been listed on Time’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and Forbes’ list of the World’s Richest People, just to name a few accomplishments. Her background and passion for politics have made her a very intellectual designer. Each collection she presents is revolutionary, with her pairing of colors, fabrics, and detailing. Miuccia took Prada from a small Italian leather goods company to a multi-billion dollar luxury label that is one of the most recognizable in the world today. We’re dying to see the new exhibit at the MET with two of our fashion icons, Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations.