What truly sets the Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2026 At Work collection apart is that it doesn’t merely seek the public’s gaze, it demands awareness. It doesn’t just invite us to look, but to reflect. It speaks to the invisible and historically unacknowledged labor of women, the kind that cares, listens, supports and repairs, and it compels us to recognize its weight, its beauty, its value. With strength and boldness, Miuccia Prada reminds us that women’s work is not a footnote in history, nor an ornament of society. It is not an accessory, but a structural foundation. A daily act of resistance and construction. The elegance of the collection lies not only in the cuts, fabrics, and silhouettes. It exists in a subtler, more powerful form, in the values it asserts: the elegance and dignity of dedication, the quiet strength of what is often unseen, yet holds everything together.
“I want to speak about women’s work through my own work. The work of women in factories, in services, in caregiving, and in the home. In all these contexts, the apron becomes a symbol of labor, capable of expressing multiple messages and ideas about these many different forms of work.”
As often happens in the most profound creative processes, this collection, too, finds its meaning and coherence through symbols. This time, the recurring, almost ritualistic element is the apron: a humble garment, long confined to domestic settings, now elevated to the central symbol of a fashion collection. In a bold and deliberate move, the apron is ennobled, brought into the spotlight in a context it had never inhabited before. It is both utilitarian and decorative, embodying a multitude of identities. It is a kitchen apron, but also one worn in laboratories, hospital wards, factories. This multiplicity is precisely what gives the concept its strength: the garment is not a superficial theme or a mere image, but a true manifesto capable of containing the many faces of women’s labor. The apron is reimagined in a range of materials that expand its meanings: from industrial drill cotton to embroidered raw canvas, to ultra-pressed cotton poplin. Further deepening this narrative is the fact that the runway isn’t filled with untouchable icons, but with actresses, performers, and artists, women who already embody work in their very bodies. The cast is not just an aesthetic vehicle, but an integral part of the story. It’s an artistic choice that strikes at the heart of the message: the protagonists are working women, allowing the symbolic element—the apron—to express itself in real, tangible materiality.
For the Spring/Summer 2026 collection, Miuccia Prada continues her deconstruction of feminine codes, translating the aesthetics of labor into a wardrobe that merges heritage with modernity. The silhouettes are built through layered garments that clearly reference workwear uniforms, as well as the practicality of domestic clothing. Layering becomes a recurring stylistic element in many looks: aprons over skirts, smocks over cargo pants, dusters over short dresses, and so on. Rouches, typically a hallmark of dainty, feminine clothing, are cut on the bias and applied diagonally, creating movement and volume. Tailoring plays a central role, especially in blazers with deconstructed sleeves and multi-pocket vests that evoke the idea of a functional uniform. Accessories are the finishing touch of this statement: thick leather shoes with technical soles, bags shaped like tool carriers, and work gloves made of treated leather. These are not mere additions, but logical extensions of the clothing designed in continuity with the materials used in the garments. A closer look at the details reveals a thoughtful contrast: sturdy leather and industrial drill fabric are paired with softer, more refined materials. The contradiction is intentional, the hardness of manual labor is juxtaposed with the delicacy traditionally associated with femininity.
Finally, the set design: the Palais d’Iéna is reimagined through an intimate, everyday lens. Contrasting-colored Formica tables, arranged like work surfaces, break down the traditional hierarchy between stage and audience, dissolving the distance between them. It is in this space, suspended between home and factory, that an active, resilient form of femininity takes shape, far removed from any sugar-coated representation. A femininity that fights.
