Page 2 of History of Prada
The 1980’s was an important time in the history of Prada, Miuccia Prada achieved worldwide acclaim by launching a new line of women shoes and the first Prada prêt-à-porter (ready to wear) clothing line. Shoes as well as garments was made from supreme quality fabrics and characterized by clean lines and chic design. Prada soon became synonymous with under-stated elegant garments. Miuccia Prada's first prêt-à-porter collection was a created for the autumn/winter season of 1989 and contrasted sharply against the more ostentatious and colourful fashion created by designers during the 1980’s.
Miuccia Prada had produced a collection that was instead characterized by strict lines and her signature black coloration. This caused a sharp rise in the popularity of the Prada brand and marks a milestone in the history of Prada. During the early 90’s the Prada design became the height of fashion. The Prada garments were often associated with thick square glasses and gaudy colors, and this style received the affectionate nick name “Prada Ugly”.
As with all popular labels, counterfeit Prada products began to appear world wide. Miuccia Prada's sleek and clean black designs were also frequently copied by other producers of shoes, clothes, bags and accessories. Today, counterfeiting Prada products is a global industry and fake Prada goods can be bought in most major cities in the world.
The year 1992 is another important year in the history of Prada because this was the year the Prada Company introduced a new line of clothing that would supplement the original strict Prada line. This collection is called Miu Miu and is targeting a younger and presumably more playful audience. Miu Miu is actually a nickname for Miuccia. The Miu Miu design is based on earthy colours and the goods have less of an haute-coture look than the original Prada line. The Miu Miu style has been aptly described as ‘bohemian chic’, and the collections often designed to look and feel like high-end vintage goods. The advertising campaigns for Miu Miu are consequently very different from the commercials created for the original Prada line. Miu Miu has become known for the use of waifish models photographed in "home photo" poses. The earthy colours of Miu Miu clothing are often combined with a rather simple design. Later on, the Miu Miu collection was followed by the Prada Sport collection.
