Individuality of thought is expressed through the simplification of cornerstones that envelop and represent the human body. Sartorial disciplines are interwoven with a fluid and dynamic architectural and sartorial vision. The key piece from which the research starts is the white shirt, from here continues the cleanliness of forms, the minimal silhouette juxtaposed with elements of materiality. The details are real moving distortions, in the clothes, in the whole collection and in the setting itself. Fluidity challenges the conventional language of rigid tailoring. The défilé investigates the fluctuating relationship between the body and the fabric that covers it, with the characteristics of lightness and softness becoming its main qualities. The sartorial paradigm of the 1940s, that is the inspiration for the Spring/Summer 2024 Menswear collection, is rethought according to a process of reduction and illumination of the body and garments.
“Sophistication of thoughts allow a reconsideration of simple things. It allows transformation, and individuality. Talking about bodies, you speak about individuals – the individuality of people, and therefore about an individuality of thinking.”
The structure and details of the shirt become the basis for working on an entire wardrobe. From the essential comes the expansion of the idea, the material character is reconstructed until the body is brought to the constant awareness of a body that moves freely. Presence emerges from essence, formalwear meets technical elements, workwear is recreated on the basis of futuristic touches, a proposal free of constraints and functional. Shirts are built on a new inherent fragility characterized by broad shoulders, narrow waist, and elongated sleeves. Cotton poplin is used as a hybrid and innovative element within sartorial rigor, in which a burst of innovation in lines and details is recognized. Intention and function are subverted, the floral print is reinvented through bangs and appliqués. Even pockets drop their original utility, becoming purely decorative elements. Lengths are diversified and fluid, elements that also return in the color choice, which, starting with black and blue, veers into light shades of taupe, sand, and brighter tones of green, red, and purple.
“We were thinking a lot about the body – to give freedom to the body, even if our interest is to show references to archetypes and architecture in fashion, which is usually restrictive. So we applied the structure to a whole spectrum of masculine garments, giving them all lightness, an ease and comfort.”
The rigid silhouette lines of the looks on the runway contrast with the slime that composes abstract walls and fluid interruptions in constant motion. This reflects the common state of the constantly changing person and the dynamic passage of time, characters inherent in the nature of the human being. Simplicity may be too simple, while life and the understanding of it are really complex, so they need to be reconsidered. Masculine sensuality and conventional masculinity are questioned, exploring how they can be conceived in a way quite different from how we know them. Prada brings to the stage each time the beginning of a new dialogue that incredibly unveils a contemporary elaboration of itself.
“Now, in this time, we have to inject fantasy again, ideas.”
