miuccia prada designs luxury

Prada, S.p.A. is an Italian fashion label specializing in luxury goods for men and women (ready-to-wear, leather accessories, shoes, and luggage). Prada is considered one of the most influential clothing designers in the fashion industry. The label is synonymous with opulence and quality, and is widely regarded as a status symbol. Like numerous other luxury brands, Prada battles against counterfeiting and ensures authenticity only from its official boutiques (found globally) and online store.
Prada Fall Winter 09 Women Fashion Show

First opened as a leathergoods shop in Milan in 1913, the Prada label was taken in by designer Miuccia Prada in 1989 and transformed into the luxury goods, fashion house recognized today. As of 2009, most of its line is made in China.
Miuccia Bianchi Prada was born Maria Bianchi 10 May 1949, in Milan. She is an Italian fashion designer (Prada, Miu Miu) and entrepreneur. She also has a Ph.D. in Political Science.
She is the youngest granddaughter of Mario Prada, founder of the company. According to: Forbes.com's The World's Richest People 2001: "She and her husband, Patrizio Bertelli, took over the family-owned luxury goods manufacturer in 1978. Since then, they've turned it into a fashion powerhouse, acquiring Jil Sander, Helmut Lang and shoemaker Church & Co." Miuccia Prada biography info (c) wikipedia.org
Eye on Miu Miu Fall Winter 2008-2009

The company was begun as Fratelli Prada ( English: Prada Brothers ) by Mario Prada in 1913 as a leathergoods shop in Milan, Italy. Not only was his shop a purveyor of leathergoods, but also sold imported English steamer trunks and handbags. Fratelli Prada gained great reputation. Mario Prada did not believe in women interaction within business, and so he prevented female family members from entering into his workshop. After his death in the mid-1950s, Mario's son harbored no interest in the business. So ironically, it was Mario's daughter-in-law who took the helm of Prada, and maintained it for almost twenty years. Her own daughter, Miuccia Prada, joined the company in 1970. Miuccia began making waterproof backbacks out of Pocone. She met Patrizio Bertelli in 1977, an Italian who had begun his own leathergoods business at the age of 17, and he joined the company soon on. He greatly advised Miuccia and she readily followed the advice on better decisions for the Prada company. It was his advice to discontinue importing English goods and to begin to revolutionize the oldfashioned luggage styles.
photo (c) Argenberg from flickr
Miuccia inherited the company in 1978 by which time sales were up to $450,000 USD. With Bertelli alongside her as business manager, Miuccia was allowed time to implement for total mind onto design. She would go on to incorporate her ideas into the House of Prada that would transform it into a label of renown. She released her first set of backpacks and totes in 1979. They were made out of a tough military spec black nylon that her grandfather had used as coverings for his steamer trunks. Initial success was not instant, as they were hard to sell due to the lack of advertising and high-prices, but the lines would go on to become her first commercial hit. Next, Miuccia and Bertelli sought out wholesale accounts for the bags in upscale department stores and boutiques worldwide. In 1983, Prada opened a second boutique in Millan reminiscent to the original shop, but with a sleek and modern contrast to it. It was opened in the historic and upscale shopping district of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
The next year, Prada released its nylon tote. That same year, the House of Prada began expansion across continental Europe by opening locations in prominent shopping districts within Florence, Paris, Madrid, and New York City. A shoe line was also released in 1984. Miuccia released the classic Prada handbag in 1985, that went on to become an overnight sensation. It was practical and fashionable, functional and sturdy. In 1987, Miuccia and Bertelli married. Prada launched its women's ready-to-wear collection in 1989, and the designs came to be known for their dropped waistlines and narrow belts. Prada's popularity skyrocketed when the fashion world took notice of its clean lines, opulent fabrics, and basic colors. Time described the apparel as "unassertive, combining traditional good manners and an ultramodern industrial sleekness." Truly, the designs to come out of the House of Prada reflected feminine worker aesthetic which made it quite unique in contrast to other high-fashion brands. It would be identified with as for the affluent working women who held demanding jobs identified with it." Thus, it is no surprise that Miuccia herself took it upon herself to call her women's outfits as "uniforms."
photo (c) Ambrosiana Pictures from flickr
The logo for the label, the Prada silver-and black triangle, was not the main design element unlike other prominent luxury brands the likes of Louis Vuitton. And its appeal, including the apparel, were taken as "anti-status" or "reverse snobbery."
It suspended to merging and purchasing in 2000s, however, a loose agreement was signed in with Azzedine Alaia. Personal skin care products were introduced in the United States in October 2000 (a 30-day supply of cleansing lotion going for the retail price of $100 USD). To help pay off debts of over $850 million USD, the company planned on offering 30% of the company on the Milan Stock Exchange to the public on June 2001. However, the offering was slowed down after a decline in luxury goods spending in the United States and Japan. In 2001, under the pressure of his bankers, Bertelli also sold all of Prada's 25.5% share in Fendi to LVMH to help reduce Prada's debt. He raised only $295 million USD.
By 2006, the Helmut Lang, Amy Fairclough and Jil Sander labels were sold. Jil Sander was sold to the private equity firm Change Capital Partners, which is headed by Luc Vandevelde, the chairman of Carrefour, while the Helmut Lang label is now owned by Japanese fashion company Link Theory. Prada is still recovering from the Fendi debt. More recently, a 45% stake of the Church & Company brand has been sold to Equinox.
Fortune states that Betelli plans on increasing revenue for the House of Prada to $5 billion USD by 2010. Miuccia Prada history info (c) wikipedia.org