Mechanic

The story of the House of Prada begins as early as 1913 in the elegant Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, where Mario Prada opened a shop for exquisite leather goods and travel trunks that quickly captivated the European elite. But the real revolution came when Miuccia Prada, the founder's granddaughter and a political scientist, took the helm in the 1970s and saved the venerable company from impending obscurity. She was the one who introduced the legendary black nylon – an anti-luxury material – for her famous backpacks and later for entire collections, consciously breaking with the brand's dusty heritage and leading Prada into the avant-garde. Under her creative direction, a style emerged that would later be called "ugly chic," as Miuccia Prada made the unconventional and supposedly ugly socially acceptable by mixing colors, patterns, and materials in a chaotically ingenious way. Her collections are deliberately unpredictable and defy any fixed theme, which is why she surprises every season with new, often intellectual and socially critical designs that are celebrated by the fashion world. Together with her husband and business partner Patrizio Bertelli, she built Prada into a fashion powerhouse that is now considered a cult brand and a timeless symbol of sophistication and innovation. Miuccia Prada proved that it is better to be interesting than just beautiful, thus securing the Milanese fashion house its undeniable place as one of the world's most valuable luxury brands.