Prada honours primitive drives for its FW25 menswear collection Narrating insecurity through sensuality

Prada is a brand that does not turn its back on uncertainties. Perhaps it is for this reason that the maison has remained untouched by the luxury crisis that is spreading among the major conglomerates in the industry: while others slow down, the Prada Group records one success after another, both for Miu Miu and for Prada, with quarterly revenues reaching peaks of over 100%. The brand's success has no secrets: what makes the Prada Group an unyielding force is the ability of creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons to reflect the times we live in. As a result, they offer customers what they seek. Security, intuition, comfort, and sensuality were the key words of the Prada FW25 Men's collection, presented last night at Fondazione Prada. The set, once again conceived by the Rotterdam-based studio AMO, fully embodied the contrasting feelings Prada and Simons evoked through the clothes, between the softness of a blue and white carpet designed by theater artist Catherine Martin and the grandeur of an industrial metal structure dominating the venue. In between, a collection inspired by Western cinema and daring necklines, nostalgic floral prints, and fur. Pajamas, puffer jackets, and distressed leather. A collection so familiar it inspires a touch of fear—much like the current state of fashion, one might add.

After a series of idyllic collections focused on artistic experimentation and man's relationship with technology, punctuated by viral it-items, Prada makes an abrupt change of course. The FW25 collection speaks to human instinct, to the automatic reactions and responses of our bodies to what surrounds us. Sensuality is reimagined, transitioning from the sweetness of school uniforms to the primal allure of fur and faded leather. The quest for security is heightened through the use of good luck accessories that hold no meaning other than what is personally assigned by the wearer. There is romance in this Prada Men collection, but not the kind we’ve seen before: «programmed decisions give way to truth,» the brand says to define the collection's vision. Perhaps it is in this literary fragment that the secret to the Prada Group's success can be discerned: the luxury crisis cannot be avoided but must be addressed with complex projects and strict rationality—and told as a story. For Prada Men, Prada and Simons have chosen to respond to uncertainty with powerful garments, capable of instilling courage. In a few weeks, we will discover if the same equation holds true for the brand’s women's wardrobe.