Miuccia Prada’s (very young) women for SS 2018 will be strong and militant but in a fun way. Her collection, rich in collages, screen prints and cartoon designs, has a strong New Wave vibe: a vintage store inspired (but handmade and extremely precious) mix-and-match of pop animalier, trompe l’oeil masculine fabrics and sequins embroidery. Kitten-heeled slingbacks, pointy studded brogues and cat-eye glasses had that 50es revival style so popular in the 80es.

 

Prada’s models walked, on the notes  of 80’s icons Suzanne Vega and the Cures, on a cartoon backdrop as in a Magic Box. In  this diversified show space, drawn lines expand, meeting contemporary with classic comic design and collaging blatant activism with more understated subversion that test fixed categories.  Immersed in depictions of women drawn by women,  Prada worked with eight visionary artists, spanning the generational spectrum, each of whom has illustrated women in a uniquely empowering way. Brigid Elva, Joëlle Jones, Stellar Leuna, Giuliana Maldini, Natsume Ono, Emma Ríos, Trina Robbins and Fiona Staples, mixed with the archive of Tarpé Mills, creator of the first female action hero.  Women’s fashion inherently tries to evaluate the depiction of femininity and feminism, looking outside itself to tell its own story. This new narrative works to find intersections between existing arcs, and to offer new possibilities and visions.

Prada collage ss2018