Prada Offers Savage, Instinctive Menswear during Milan Fashion Week

 A model walks the runway during the Prada collection show at Milan's Fashion Week Men's Fall / Winter 2025-2026 in Milan, Italy, on January 19, 2025 (AFP)
A model walks the runway during the Prada collection show at Milan's Fashion Week Men's Fall / Winter 2025-2026 in Milan, Italy, on January 19, 2025 (AFP)
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Prada Offers Savage, Instinctive Menswear during Milan Fashion Week

 A model walks the runway during the Prada collection show at Milan's Fashion Week Men's Fall / Winter 2025-2026 in Milan, Italy, on January 19, 2025 (AFP)
A model walks the runway during the Prada collection show at Milan's Fashion Week Men's Fall / Winter 2025-2026 in Milan, Italy, on January 19, 2025 (AFP)

Miuccia Prada and her co-creative director Raf Simons described the latest Prada menswear collaboration unveiled during Milan Fashion Week on Sunday as raw and cinematic.

While the Milan Fall-Winter 2025-2026 runway was full of faux fur collars, Prada went the usual step beyond and created primitive detailing in shearling that looked almost torn from the beast and set askew on outerwear lapels, or patchworked into garments.

“Maybe, it reads as savage, primitive cavemen. I think that our aim was to make it feel warm and human and instinctive, but also kind of beautifully domestic in a way,” Simons said backstage.

Collection hallmarks Cinematic references were broad and not specific to any film, director or even character type, Simons said. Western touches included scuffed cowboy boots and knitwear mimicking a wrangler’s shirt - without creating characters or caricatures.

The silhouette mixed skinny trousers, often in bright rock-and-roll satin, with more ample volumes like pajama tops or slightly ratty sweaters. Suits required no shirts, as the designers advocated instinctive dressing.

One look seemed to distill the collection to its boyish essence: Straight leg jeans with a knit top featuring striped detailing, worn with floral-stamped cowboy boots.

Fashion as meaning

The designers said the collection was meant to offer hope in difficult times, proffering humanity as a form of resistance to whatever may be oppressing.

“It’s a bit of an answer to what of course is happening. We have to resist with our instinct, with our humanity, with our passion, with our romance,” Prada said backstage. Good work, she said, is also a form of resistance.

The message contained in the collection “has to be optimistic by definition and in principle,” Prada said.

The Setting The ever-transforming showroom inside the Prada Foundation’s Deposito contemporary art space was sheathed in Art Noveau carpet, and the runway was set on raised metal scaffolding. Simons said it represented contrasts, decoration and a work-in-progress.

Star power Prada's front row hailed from across the globe and disciplines, including British actor and musician William Gao, arriving with British musician Olivia Hardy, US actor Keith Powers, South Korean actress Kim Tae-ri, Chinese table tennis player Ma Long and British actor Louis Patridge. A crowd of fans waited just beyond a barricade to cheer them all.



Fashion Commission Celebrates Winners of 'Traditional Handcrafts Revival in Saudi Fashion' Competition

The competition reinforces the Kingdom's cultural identity on the global fashion stage and highlights the potential of Saudi craftsmanship to inspire innovation in modern design. (SPA)
The competition reinforces the Kingdom's cultural identity on the global fashion stage and highlights the potential of Saudi craftsmanship to inspire innovation in modern design. (SPA)
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Fashion Commission Celebrates Winners of 'Traditional Handcrafts Revival in Saudi Fashion' Competition

The competition reinforces the Kingdom's cultural identity on the global fashion stage and highlights the potential of Saudi craftsmanship to inspire innovation in modern design. (SPA)
The competition reinforces the Kingdom's cultural identity on the global fashion stage and highlights the potential of Saudi craftsmanship to inspire innovation in modern design. (SPA)

The Saudi Fashion Commission concluded its "Traditional Handcrafts Revival in Saudi Fashion" initiative with a special awards ceremony in Riyadh on Sunday.

The initiative aligns with the Ministry of Culture’s Year of Handicrafts 2025 vision to promote traditional handcrafts by highlighting Saudi traditional attire, celebrating the Kingdom's rich cultural heritage, and supporting local creative talents.

The competition aimed to integrate traditional handcraft techniques into contemporary fashion, creating a bridge between the past and present. Participants engaged in specialized workshops led by fashion experts, exploring ways to merge traditional craftsmanship with modern design principles.

The program provided a holistic experience, teaching not only the techniques of handcrafts but also deepening participants' understanding of their historical and cultural significance.

A total of 235 applicants competed in the initiative, with 25 finalists selected for the final stage. The winning designs were showcased during the Saudi Cup 2025, coinciding with Founding Day celebrations. A distinguished panel of judges, comprising leading figures in fashion, arts, and heritage, selected the top ten designs.

The competition reinforces the Kingdom's cultural identity on the global fashion stage and highlights the potential of Saudi craftsmanship to inspire innovation in modern design.