The stage was set
An open, sci-fi tunnel space designed by AMO with olive green spotlights highlighting a zig-zag runway space. The troupe performing the play: the actors and Hollywood stars chosen by Prada. The enactment of an idealised, if not romanticised, state of work in the lingo of fashion – the Body of Work of Prada’s Fall/Winter 2022 Menswear.
Prada’s Fall/Winter 2022 men’s show relensed the reality of everyday life. A fantasised realm, the show and collection explores the alternative to the dullness many live in. It is almost a play-pretend: as the cast of models includes globally-renowned stars such as Kyle MacLachlan, Thomas-Brodie Sangster, and Jeff Goldblum, they reinterpret the notion of actuality. They are dressed in an elevation of archetypal uniforms, reinventing a newfound meaning to what we know of the worldly way of living.
Under the wraps of heavy-body leather and smooth silk, the collection is carried by recognisable actors performing as mirroring clones of this reality. The garments are mere signifiers – the oversized coats with tightly cinched waists, fur-accented suits with a bright innerwear. Yet within them, lies the essence of the collection – a heightened reality. The lineup afresh an importance to the wearers; they are no longer just mannequins carrying the garment, but are now characters living the sophisticated life in the world of Prada.
Perhaps, many may find solace in this collection. Often one is too caught up by the demands of society, and days pass with the same dull of everyday routine: wake up, work, put food on the table, sleep, repeat. This collection invites many to relive the magic that exists in the escapism – almost.
The anatomy of the garments gives path to a refined fantasy – the embodiment of Prada.
The next curtain rises
The menswear collection, alongside the womenswear, will be showcased on August 5th in Beijing, China. Following the Spring/Summer 2022 womenswear collection that was simultaneously showcased in both Milan and Shanghai, Prada continues to strengthen their long-lasting relationship with China in this coming collection.
