prada

FW 22-23 men’s fashion show – Consistency “did not report”

Consistency is a fundamental value in designing a product. And also in contributing to keeping it alive over time, shaping a recognisable aesthetic. Which evolves, but its DNA is always perceivable.

Some brands become a one-hit-wonder, a flash in the pan. But it takes hard work to remain on the market (and a lot of money too).

For this purpose, as a strategy, brands follow what’s popular, doing what other designers already did. In this way, they hope to sell more and thrive. But, doing so, they lose their core image, their identity. They lose their face.
Therefore, the message sent will lack that fundamental value – consistency.

We saw the Prada Fall-Winter 22/23 men’s fashion show. And we were very, very surprised. Though not in a good way.
The silhouette recalled Balenciaga so much that the point of the direction wasn’t clear. Also, underlining – “we do luxury, they do Slavic thrift shop” sounds like an excuse.

What went wrong?

There’s no evolution in terms of style. The runway was just a reproduction of things already seen.
And not that we do not appreciate oversize clothing. On the contrary, baggy was part of our selection long before it became popular.
We just gave up trying to understand Balenciaga’s nonsensical extremization. But we cannot see why the lady who has launched the ‘aesthetics of the ugly’ – now carried over by everyone, undoubtedly not with the same refinement – could ever take the decision to follow the mainstream.
That is a surprise! The biggest news! Instead of making a trend, Prada follows the trend.

Where’s the Pradaness?

If the presence of Raf Simons was supposed to bring fresh air in co-designing the brand, it was better when she was doing by-herself-herself-alone-her-own-brand.

With hindsight, Mrs Prada searching for support in co-designing sounds like ‘Hey, I cannot cope with the new trends.’
Did she have to cope with the new trends? No. She simply had to be herself. Be consistent by giving her own vision of ‘the new.’

But this is the love for fashion that speaks. What really counts are numbers. So, let’s finance rule the game. And say goodbye to consistency.