Bianchi joined the Prada family business in 1970 and managed one of its two remaining stores. In 1978, he succeeded his mother as head of the company, which by then had been reduced to a single store, and hired as his main supplier the Italian businessman Patrizio Bertelli, a leather goods manufacturer whom he had met the previous year at a trade fair where he was selling Fratelli Prada imitations. In collaboration with Bertelli as chief designer, he began working to revitalize the company. One of his first ideas was to design a line of unlabeled bags in the then-unorthodox Pocono nylon – a durable, water-resistant fabric often used to make military tents. But this line, launched in 1979, was not an immediate success.

In the 1980s, Bianchi began to expand the company globally, opening additional stores from 1983 and introducing a line of shoes in 1984. Also in 1985, he relaunched the Pocono line of bags, redesigned with a gold chain strap and the triangular signature logo that would later become the brand’s symbol. Perhaps due to their resemblance to the more expensive leather Chanel bags, sales of Pocono bags soared and were soon favored by the fashion elite, including actress and model Jerry Hall.

Here comes… Miuccia Prada
Bianchi officially took the surname Prada in the late 1980s. In 1987, she married Patrizio Bertelli. The following year, she presented her first ready-to-wear collection to critical acclaim, featuring parkas made of nylon that provided customers with durability without sacrificing style. Miuccia Prada’s progressive ideals were often reflected in her designs, which contrasted with the overt glamorization of many of the label’s competitors, offering an understated glamor and elegance that led to a reassessment of femininity and challenged industry convention. Clean, simple lines and elegant, basic colors were paired with luxurious fabrics and refined tailoring to create a tasteful look that enhanced the body while maintaining modesty. After a decade of fashion excess, Miuccia Prada’s idea of everyday luxury caught on and the Prada brand quickly became associated with confident, intellectual and working women.

The Prada Group grow stronger…
In the early 1990s, Miuccia Prada continued to expand the brand and introduced a perfume line. By 1992, Miuccia Prada, called Miu by her family and friends, founded Miu Miu, which was described as the sister of the Prada brand and would appeal to a younger audience than Prada.Together with her husband and partner Bertelli, in 1993 she founded PradaMilanoarte, later renamed the Prada Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting various up-and-coming contemporary designers, including architects and artists. That same year, Prada introduced a menswear line, and in 1995, when one of Hollywood’s leading actresses, Uma Thurman, wore one of Prada’s dresses to the Academy Awards ceremony, Prada gained international recognition, quickly transforming the brand into an international fashion symbol.
In 1996, Miuccia Prada and Bertelli joined forces to establish Prapar BV, the holding company of the Prada Group, later renamed Prada Spa, with Bertelli taking over as CEO. In 1997, Miuccia Prada launched a sportswear brand called Prada Sport, later renamed Linea Rossa (Red Line). Over the next two years, Miuccia Prada and Bertelli initiated a series of high-profile acquisitions, including stakes in the fashion houses and fashion companies Helmut Lang, Jil Sander and Fendi, transforming the Prada Group into a multi-million dollar fashion conglomerate. In 2000 he introduced a cosmetics brand and in 2004 he was the recipient of the Council of Fashion Designers of America International Award. By the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Prada Group’s annual revenues had skyrocketed to over a billion dollars. For her contribution to the Italian fashion world, Miuccia Prada received the title of Knight of the Grand Cross in 2015, the highest honorary title of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

Back to 1992…
Miu Miu, one of the most important fruits of the success story of Miuccia Prada, one of the 100 richest people in the world and one of the most influential women of the twentieth century, was named the best brand in Italy last year. Miu Miu’s story began in 1992 as a result of Miuccia Prada’s passion for creating new, youthful and more affordable designs than Prada, directly inspired by her own wardrobe. For Miu Miu, which she nicknamed Miu Miu after herself and for which she is Creative Director, Miuccia focuses mainly on unique women’s designs with a strong iconic connotation, emphasizing chic aesthetics with a dash of humor. Miu Miu is therefore entirely dedicated to women, sweetening their energy and emphasizing their strong, provocative and contemporary personalities.

The Miu Miu universe…
Less than three years after Miu Miu was launched, her fame spread around the world as Prada’s little sister. Miu Miu gained international fame and much support thanks to the image she began projecting in her early years. Emphasizing the feminine, non-conformist and rebellious feeling, Miu Miu has been around for thirty-one years and continues to evolve in the fashion world, becoming the favorite street style of young people. At Miu Miu, the ultimate goal is to define a hybrid vision of modern femininity. This can be seen not only in the collections but also in the brand’s advertising campaigns.

The styles and motifs used in their collections also play a big role in mobilizing potential customers. For example, Miu Miu’s use of the cat motif was a big hit with young people and is now instantly recognizable as the brand’s identity tag. Miu Miu delights customers around the world with well-defined ready-to-wear. The brand’s extreme eyewear, accessories, bags and shoes, which are different from Prada’s minimalist sense of design, also manage to get full marks from fashion circles. Continuing to grow and diversify its products, Miu Miu expanded its collection by adding fragrances to the clothing and accessories market in 2015. Miu Miu, which is not in a hurry to grow and diversify its products, continues its steady development and evolves in harmony with Prada’s products. The brand, which is a reflection of Miuccia Prada’s talents in business and fashion life, draws attention with its spontaneous, creative and innovative structure. As a Prada brand, Miu Miu confirms with its new collections that it will bring countless more surprises to the fashion world.

The differences between Prada and Miu Miu…
When Miuccia Prada is asked about the differences between Miu Miu and Prada, she admits that designing is a very complex process, and that although there are many ideas to be expressed everywhere, they often end up in contradictory situations. That’s why Miu Miu exists as Prada’s little sister, a way of not complicating things for Miuccia Prada. Miuccia Prada says that when it comes to designing for Prada, the design process takes more time due to the sophisticated identity of the brand, and emphasizes that in Miu Miu, some design ideas emerge spontaneously and turn into more interesting, colorful and fun collections.

Miu Miu faces…
Miu Miu brand faces include Laetitia Casta, Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Katie Holmes, Ginta Lapina, Lindsay Lohan, Vanessa Paradis, Chloë Sevigny, Siri Tollerod, Lindsey Wixson, Zhou Xun, Dong Jie, Jessica Stam and Joan Smalls. Miu Miu introduced the Women’s Tales collection in 2011. The collection’s campaign consisted of short films produced in collaboration with high-profile female directors. The result is a list of short, silent films featuring Miu Miu’s collections. The first four short films were directed by Zoe Cassavetes, Lucrecia Martel, Giada Colagrande and Massy Tadjedin and screened at the 69th Venice International Film Festival. The fifth film, released in 2013, was written and directed by Ava DuVernay, who also starred in it.
In May 2011, Miu Miu chose actress Hailee Steinfeld, then only fourteen years old, as the new young face of the brand. In the brand’s 2012 campaign, thirty-four-year-old American model Guinevere Van Seenus appeared in front of the cameras. In 2018, actress Elle Fanning became the face of the brand. In 2021, South Korean singer and actress Im Yoona was chosen as the brand ambassador.

Miu Miu Eyewear
Captivating and extraordinary, Miu Miu Eyewear combines naive and sophisticated elegance with a maverick and carefree spirit. Miu Miu’s immediate and ever-evolving language of expression speaks of an individual and conscious femininity that makes room for limitless creativity. Miu Miu Eyewear is one of the most preferred eyewear brands for women, offering a wide range of eye-catching eyewear collections featuring alluring cat-eye styles, feminine silhouettes and oversized designs. In April 2005, the Prada Group and eyewear giant Luxottica announced an exclusive ten-year license agreement for the design, manufacture and global distribution of Prada and Miu Miu optical and sunglasses. As a result of this agreement, the Miu Miu Eyewear eyewear collection was launched in September of the same year. In May 2015, Prada Group and Luxottica Group renewed their exclusive license agreement for the design, manufacture and global distribution of Prada and Miu Miu optical and sunglasses, which will run until December 31, 2025. Miu Miu, created by Miuccia Prada in 1992 as a brand independent of Prada, is still Miuccia’s most free space to pour her dreams into fabric and other materials. Miuccia, who was the first hippie in her circle in the sixties, takes the risk of sailing into unsafe waters with the free wind from her past and hits the bull’s eye with Miu Miu.

August 2023