The two seminal designers will work equally on the brand’s collections, with their first collaboration shown this September in Milan
In news announced this morning, Raf Simons is set to join Prada, working alongside Miuccia Prada as the brand’s co-creative director. Simons will work “in partnership with Miuccia Prada, with equal responsibilities for creative input and decision-making,” said a statement on the brand’s Instagram account. The first collection by the pair will be Spring/Summer 2021, presented in Milan this coming September; Simons will work on both mens- and womenswear collections going forward.
The landmark news – both designers are perceived as among the most influential working today, and this collaborative approach marks perhaps the first of its kind – was announced in a press conference this morning in Milan, where Prada showed its Autumn/Winter 2020 womenswear collection earlier this week. “I’m extremely happy to start this new phase, it’s certainly going to be extremely exciting. We like each other, we respect each other, and we’ll see if we go somewhere,” Miuccia Prada said.
“I’m very pleased to announce our partnership on Prada, a brand I’ve been interested in my whole life... I always look for new challenges in my life,” Simons added. “Mr. Bertelli [Patrizio Bertelli, Miuccia Prada’s husband and chief executive of the Prada group] approached me right after my exit from Calvin Klein. I question the role of creativity in fashion... We have to look at creativity, how can that evolve.” Simons also confirmed that his eponymous label, based in Antwerp, would continue. “We feel strengthened by idea of collaborating,” he concluded.
With plenty of excitement surrounding the announcement – which had been rumoured for some months – the upcoming Spring/Summer 2021 show will no doubt prove a seminal moment for both designers, and for the Italian house itself.
