THE MIU AGE

Next year, in 2014, Miu Miu will celebrate their 20´s anniversary. The brand´s girl became a grown women. For this occasion Dazed & Confused (in this August print and digital version) honored Prada´s younger "sister" with a great editorial, photographed by Ben Toms, styled by Robbie Spencer and a short movie, directed by Amy Gwatkin.

Discover how the brand Prada started her own heritage history and when and why her younger label born.

THE HISTORY OF PRADA

The Prada company was started in 1913 by Miuccia´s grandfather Mario Prada and his brother Martino as a leathergoods shop – Fratelli Prada (English: Prada Brothers) – in Milan, Italy. Initially, the shop sold leather goods and imported English steamer trunks and handbags.

In 1919, Prada became an official supplier to the Italian Royal Family. Over the years, the Prada name gained increasing renown and prestige.
Mario Prada did not believe that women should have a role in business, and so he prevented female family members from entering into his company. Ironically, Mario's son harbored no interest in the business, so it was his daughter Luisa Prada who took the helm of Prada as his successor, and ran it for almost twenty years. Her own daughter, Miuccia Prada, joined the company in 1970, eventually taking over for her mother in 1978.

In 1977, Patrizio Bertelli set up I.P.I. spa to consolidate the production resources that he had built up over the previous ten years, including those of Sir Robert and Granello. In the same year, I.P.I. spa obtained an exclusive license from Miuccia Prada to produce and distribute leather goods bearing the Prada brand name. 

Miuccia quickly shook things up, creating the first line of her black military-grade nylon backpacks in 1979. While the humble techno luggage, a volte-face from what a luxury bag was supposed to look like, was a tough sell in the 80s – the age of logomania, after all – it would become the schlepper synonymous with the 90s. 

In the following years, the activities of the two families were gradually brought together within a single Group and, in 2003, IPI spa was merged into PRADA spa.

In 1983, the Prada family opened a second store in the prestigious Via della Spiga in Milan. The new store showcased the new brand image as it blended traditional elements with a modern architectural setting and would represent a revolution and a benchmark for luxury retail.  In response to the growing demand for and appreciation of Prada products, the range was extended from leather goods (such as bags, luggage and accessories) to include footwear, as well as men’s and women’s ready-to-wear apparel.  

MIU MIU

Named after Ms. Miuccia Prada, President and stylist, Miu Miu was created in 1993 as a brand with an autonomous identity from Prada and has since evolved into one of the leading high fashion brands in the world. Miu Miu is characterized by its avant-garde, sensual and provocative style, which seeks to evoke a luxurious sense of freedom and intimacy with attention to detail and high quality.

Models and film stars do cross paths with this Prada´s younger sister. Following Miu Miu’s inaugural campaigns – the very first S/S 1994 featured Rosemary Ferguson neo-realistically shot by Corinne Day – the notion of the layered, multifaceted personality was introduced with the casting of Drew Barrymore in 1995 by Ellen Von Unwerth. Putting clothes on an actress is a great signifier of that.

/ S/S 1994 campaign with Rosemary Ferguson by Corinne Day /

/ S/S 1995 and F/W 1995/1996 campaign wih Drew Barrymore by Ellen Von Unwerth /

Since then, we’ve seen Maggie Gyllenhaal, Laetitia Casta, Selma Blair, Kirsten Dunst, Evan Rachel Wood, Ludivine Sagnier, Katie Holmes, Vanessa Paradis, Mia Wasikowska, Kim Basinger, Lindsay Lohan and Lou Doillon all front the brand. Chloë Sevigny is the only actress to have been the face of Miu Miu twice, for SS96 shot by Juergen Teller and AW12, by Mert and Marcus. Meanwhile, the then 14-year-old actress Hailee Steinfeld was shot by Bruce Weber for AW11.

/ Chloë Sevigny in, left:  S/S 1996 campaign by Juergen teller  right: F/W 2012/2013 campaign by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott /

/ F/W 2011/2012 campaign with Hailee Steinfeld by Bruce Weber /

The F/W 2011/2012 campaign attracted controversy due to the fact that Steinfield was literally playing on railway tracks in it.

What’s thrilling about this label is that the girlie side of it emerged with became women, and it has grown with them. The brand was a mirror that gave a generation the tools of expression. The same women can, and do, wear Miu Miu today. 

/ Anne-Catherine wears burgundy blouson with patch insert, cotton sweater, burgundy pleated skirt, red knit belt, fantasy plex brooches and red plex headband from SS05 /

/ left: Anne-Catherine wears suede patchwork skirt with cashmere jumper and cotton shirt from AW05, right: Irene wears orange wool dress with metal embroidered flowers and bag from AW11 /

/ Delfine wears, left: silk pleated dress and nappa-leather patchwork jacket from SS11, right: nude and blush pink wool dress with crystal embroideries, bra and socks from AW09 /

/ Jamily wears mosaic cameo top and mosaic patch skirt with attached black overskirt from SS09 /

/ left: Anne-Catherine wears printed cotton top and skirt and wedges from SS02

   ,right: Irene wears printed cady silk dress from SS10 /

/ left: Vlada wears silk patterned kimono top and skirt from SS03, right: Irene wears jacquard argyle yellow top, pink coat and orange skirt with camel wool socks from AW07 /

/ Jamily wears suede mirrored dress, gazer shirt, tie, suede skirt and lizard boots from AW12 /

/ Vlada wears, left: satin gabardine dress, jersey overalls and knit cap from AW08, right: double wool coat with glass beading embellishment and astrakhan collar with taffeta skirt and scarf from AW13 /

/ left: Jamily wears crepe dress with mink shoulders and sequin swallows from AW11, right: Vlada wears tweed and fur dress with coyote stole from AW09 /

/ Anne-Catherine wears nylon sweater and skirt in camel colour from AW07 /

 source: Prada.com and Dazed&Confused