It is oversized top-stitching on denim and poplin shirts contrasted with crystals hand-embroidered on silk. It is the intellectualism of designer Miuccia Prada, who has no formal design training but a PhD in political science, trained as a mime and was a member of the Communist Party in the 70s (legend has it that she wore Yves Saint Laurent to distribute leaflets). It is the brand's advocacy of the arts, and development of the Fondazione Prada - a museum designed by architect Rem Koolhaas opening in Milan next year. It is Prada's continued focus on subverting fashion codes and pre-conceived notions of good taste and sex appeal: she loves to design skirts because it is a symbol of femininity, and is distinguished for her embrace of what is traditionally considered ugly. Prada has based collections around things that she hates, explaining in an interview last year: "The investigation of ugliness is, to me, more interesting than the bourgeois idea of beauty".
Mrs Prada, as she is known by those who work with her, thinks seriously about fashion and what she puts into the market. She is the thinking woman's designer, the designer's designer; the one that fashion looks to every six months to define the season and what is modern right now. Her own relationship with fashion is complicated: she has discussed her conflict at being a designer ("To want to be a fashion designer was really the worst thing that could happen to me. I thought it was dumb and conservative") but today uses her position to push the idea of fashion as being about more than just the dress. In an interview with foreign correspondent Christina Lamb earlier this year, she explained, "For so many years I was critical of fashion for its superficial aspect and always felt guilty. But now I respect it, and struggle against the hypocrisy."
The 65-year-old designer, co-CEO of the company (with husband Patrizio Bertelli) and the 75th most powerful woman in the world, according to Forbes, gives few interviews and so a unique sort of mystique and respect surrounds her (rivalled only by Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons). In 1978 she took over the company started by her grandfather in Milan in 1913, developing it with Bertelli into a global and multilayered brand. Today, Prada has stores in 70 countries, with New Zealand the latest marked for expansion. Previously only available through a small store within DFS Galleria, some New Zealanders may likely be more familiar with the brand through its sponsorship and involvement with Luna Rossa and the America's Cup. The team was based in Auckland in the lead-up to the 2013 campaign and during the previous campaigns held here, with the Prada-branded boat a familiar sight on the Waitemata Harbour; Prada and Bertelli visited most recently in 2012 to launch the AC72 catamaran.
