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Miuccia Prada Makes Ugly Chic

 

Miuccia Prada Makes Ugly Chic

The Spring/ Summer 1996 Prada collection entitled Banal Eccentricity was instrumental in the world of fashion and coined the phrase "ugly chic". Its use of commonly dismissed colors and materials brought the brand to the forefront of the fashion industry, and then reconstructed our idea of what it means to be attractive and have style.

Banal Eccentricity is a retro-inspired brand of geek chic that utilized underused colors like avocado and ocher to promote an off-key cool feeling. In the 90s, this feeling came in sharp contrast to the other major brands, like Tom Ford, that went for an overtly sexual appeal. Miuccia Prada started the ugly chic movement, with Gucci following her aesthetic soon after. The two have carried it on in fashion ever since.

See the whole show here.

Prada earned her PhD in political science from the University of Milan back in 1973. This could be the inspiration for her reputation of producing clothes with style and a sprinkle of intellectualism. Her choice to become a designer, despite this degree, was one that she made because she views clothes as having far greater significance than what we put on our bodies. 

As a strong feminist, this designer has played a monumental role in transforming society’s views of what is expected from women in fashion.  She once said, “I suppose I felt guilty not to be doing something more important, more political. So in a way I am trying to use the company for these other activities.” 

This, however, wasn’t always an easy task for her. In an interview, she admitted, “When I started, fashion was the worst place to be if you were a leftist feminist. It was horrid. I had a prejudice, yes, I always had a problem with it.” Through this, though, she persevered, and has since made impressive strides in solving the problems she identified at her beginning.

Even in her most recent collection, spring of 2022, Prada reinvents the wheel of what is sexy for society. In a collection entitled, “A Seduction Through Reduction,” Miuccia Prada paired with Raf Simons to focus on the process of stripping down clothing. This process leads to the body being emphasized and exposed. The product was more revealing than most Prada we've known, but remarkably unlike other forms of sexy that can be found on the runway, and this is, in essence, so unapologetically Prada.

“Ugly is attractive, ugly is exciting. Maybe because it is newer.” - Miuccia Prada

“What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today when human contacts go so fast. Fashion is instant language.”- Miucca Prada

The House of Prada is one of the most celebrated brands of fashion in history, with Miuccia-along with new co-head designer Raf Simons-reining over it. With sales each year of over £3bn, more than 600 boutiques and 12,000 employees internationally, it's clear that her flare for the unconventional and passion for providing collections with a second, intellectual layer has garnered its fair share of support.

This support has already been immortalized. In “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations,” the quintessential styles from each of these widely celebrated brands have been stored for revel as the leaders of innovation and radical interpretations of society that they are.

Here’s a peak at the exhibition:

Schiaparelli & Prada: Impossible Conversations

“I don’t believe in people who think that clothes are not important.” -Miuccia Prada

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