The best Prada catwalks of all time

It's undoubtedly the fashion house that can boast the closest and strongest bond with the worlds of art and architecture. Prada, the maison led by Miuccia Prada, has distinguished itself during the years for its art projects, like the creation of the different Fondazione Prada locations, the collaborations with artists, and more generally for an intellectual and conceptual fashion that elevates itself to art. The brand has been working for many years now with the architecture studio OMA, founded by the archistar Rem Koolhaas, that has designed not only the structure of the Fondazione Prada located in Largo Isarco in Milan, but also the recently born Torre and many flagship stores of the brand too. Moreover, for more than 10 years, OMA is in charge of the Prada catwalks as well, turning the big and wide spaces of the fashion house headquarter in via Fogazzaro into new, unexpected and elegant worlds. 

In anticipation of the Prada Menswear FW19 show, we gathered here the best catwalks of the brand we've seen so far. 

Spring/Summer 2015 Men's and Women's

Outdoor/ Indoor/ Outdoor: these are the core elements of the venue. The set explores the relation between indoor and outdoor spaces, for the menswear show with an indoor pool, for the womenswear with purple sand dunes. The models walk on a runway that extends on the water surface, reflecting in it, creating fluid figures in a geometric contest. 

Spring/Summer 2016 Men's and Women's

Indefinite hangar. Huge plastic sheets hang down from the ceiling, manipulating the proportions and the perspective, alternating levels of view and transparency. The iridiscent lights contribute to underline the post industrial nature of the space. 

Fall/Winter 2013 Men's

Ideal house. The audience, seated on a irregularly shaped central wooden island, faces the ideal house: the space reflects the everyday life, with mundane objects and geometric furniture. The models walk through this domestic set, while behind them images of indoor and outdoor spaces alternate. 

Spring/Summer 2012 Men's 

An artificial garden where 600 guests were seated on individual blue foam blocks, while models walked around following choreographed routes in this organized maze. The experience of the show becomes personal: every attendee is on his own, far from the other guests, enjoying a show that is private. 

Fall/Winter 2017 Men's and Women's 

Continuous Interior. Back to basics, to the simplicity and essentiality of everyday life. A continuous wooden partition divides the space into a series of consecutive sceneries. The audience, sitting on benches and real beds, rediscovers a more direct and intimate connection with the collection. 

Spring/Summer 2017 Men's and Women's 

Total space. The set of this show was built on the structure of the catwalk of the previous season, still visible under the new runway. At the center of the venue we find a metal mesh structure, while light filters create a pale glow through the mesh. Models walk on a straight ramp elevated above the floor, virtually levitating in the space. 

Fall/Winter 2015 Men's

The Infinite Palace. Not the traditional straight linear catwalk, but small and intimate spaces decorated with blue and black marble. The progression through the connected rooms simulates endless repetitions and symmetries, while providing the illusion of an infinite palace. 

Fall/Winter 2016 Men's and Women's

There are no more boundaries between actors and viewers, players and audience. No longer relegated to passive observer, the spectator is now an active participant in the events unfolding in front of them. For this set, OMA drew inspiration from the classic structures of public theatres, with their balconies and tribunes. 

Spring/Summer 2018 Men's

Meanwhile... A fashion show is a story told in an architectural space: a story within a story. For this season OMA erased every superstructure, revealing the bare nature of the building, covering it with panels that evoke comic books and graphic novels. Fragmented stories and uncompleted narratives decorate all the visible structures, while the guests are immersed in this story as well. 

Spring/Summer 2019 Men's

Cartesian Space. The imperfections of the space are perfectly counterbalanced by the precision and the geometry of this Cartesian set, which adds an unexpected elegance to the industrial landscape. A grid defines the areas occupied by guests, while four different trajectories are left unoccupied for models to cross the room longitudinally. To top everything, the incredible inflatable stools designed by Vernon Panton, illuminated from behind by colored lights.