Inside The Prada SS24 Menswear Collection
The creative duo formed by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons stages a show that decodes the sartorial disciplines, giving free rein to an architectural and fluid vision of masculinity.
Prada’s Spring/Summer 2024 menswear collection debuted today at Milan Fashion Week, with Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons returning with an ever-so-sleek and slimy offering for the season. Seriously, slime dripped down from the ceiling during the show. The architecture at Prada’s showroom shifts with every season, but never so fluidly as for Spring-Summer 2024 menswear.
The collection was viewed through a wall of clear falling slime — a form of fluid architecture — that gathered on the metallic grate runway in piles of green foam. The moving architecture was a metaphor for a collection that was meant to express the fluidity of menswear.
The concept of fluidity extends beyond the garments themselves. The show’s setting, the Deposito of the Fondazione Prada, becomes a visual representation of fluidity framing the human form. Abstract walls evoke fluid interruptions, forming an ever-shifting enfilade through which models gracefully process, showcasing the transformative nature of the clothes and those who wear them.
The industrial space was lit up by a ring of industrial lamps. Models walked on a runway between ever-shifting “walls” formed by 3,000 kilos of slime that dripped down from the ceiling and created green puddles on the floor. The design aimed to add an organic aspect to the industrial space and change the audience’s perception of it.
The collection itself was called Fluid Form and explored fluid architecture around the human body. Both the aluminium structure and the slime used for the show will be recycled.
“The concept of fluidity framing the human form again expands, represented through the show space in the Deposito of the Fondazione Prada.” Prada said. “Abstract walls are evoked through fluid interruptions, forming an ever-shifting enfilade through which the model’s process.”
According to Prada founder Miuccia Prada and the brand’s co-creative director Raf Simons, the Fluid Form collection was designed to break away from traditional rigid tailoring and offer a more fluid and liberating experience. The collection aims to create a constant awareness of the body within and its liberation, as stated by Prada herself.
“The ultimate aim is a constant awareness of the body within and its liberation,” Prada said.
The soft and squishy leather bags, looser interpretations of structured shirts, and decorative pockets and corsages are examples of the fluidity in design that the Fluid Form collection offers. The collection aims to reflect the natural state of humanity, with dynamic movement and constant transformation, according to the brand.
“These clothes are ultimately reflective of our natural state – the dynamic movement and constant transformation inherent to humanity,” the brand added.
“The shirt is a point of departure, its structure and details borrowed as a base to transform an entire stable of menswear – suits, raincoats, active sportswear, reporter jackets. Reconsidered construction, re-constructed. Beginning with simplicity, the collection proposes a notion of expansion, amplification of an idea – a paradox between silhouette and materiality. The ultimate aim is a constant awareness of the body within, and its liberation.” – From Prada.
As regards accessories, Prada’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection features bright materials that contrast and complement the silhouettes of the garments. The bags, backpacks, and shoes come in vibrant hues, such as red and purple, contrast with the more neutral tones of the outfits.
The colour palette throughout the collection is consistent soft tones paired with more saturated hues. For example, where the outfit is black, the sunglasses are brown.
