Miuccia Prada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Miuccia Bianchi Prada
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Prada in 2011
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| Born |
Maria Bianchi
10 May 1949 Milan, Italy
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| Education | University of Milan (BA, PhD) |
| Occupation | Fashion designer, Businessperson |
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Label(s)
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| Title | Co-CEO and head designer, Prada |
| Spouse(s) |
Patrizio Bertelli
(m. 1978) |
| Children | 2, including Lorenzo Bertelli |
| Relatives | Mario Prada (grandfather) |
| Awards | Council of Fashion Designers of America International Award (1993) |
Miuccia Bianchi Prada was born Maria Bianchi on May 10, 1949. She is a famous Italian fashion designer and a successful businesswoman. Miuccia Prada is the main designer for the well-known fashion brand Prada. She also started her own fashion line called Miu Miu.
Miuccia Prada is the youngest granddaughter of Mario Prada, who started the family's luxury goods company. She took over the business in 1978. Since then, the company has grown a lot. It has even bought other fashion brands like Jil Sander and Helmut Lang. In 2002, Miuccia Prada opened her own museum for modern art.
In March 2013, Forbes magazine said Miuccia Prada was one of the fifty best-dressed people over 50. In 2014, the same magazine listed her as the 75th most powerful woman in the world.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Miuccia Prada was born Maria Bianchi in Milan, Italy, on May 10, 1949. She later changed her name to Miuccia Prada in the 1980s after being adopted by her aunt. Her parents were Luigi Bianchi and Luisa Prada. She has two older siblings, Albert and Marina.
After high school, Miuccia Prada went to the University of Milan. She earned a degree in political science in 1971. At the same time, she also studied acting at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan. Later, in 1978, she received a PhD in political science from the same university.
Career in Fashion
Starting Out in Fashion
Before joining the family business, Miuccia Prada trained to be a mime artist at the Teatro Piccolo. She performed as a mime for five years. In the 1970s, she was also involved in the women's rights movement in Milan.
Leading the Prada Brand
By the mid-1970s, Miuccia Prada joined her family's business. Her grandfather had started the company in 1913, making luxury leather bags. At first, she focused on designing accessories for the company. In 1978, she met Patrizio Bertelli, who would become her husband and business partner.
Miuccia Prada had her first big success with a handbag design in 1985. It was a collection of black handbags made from a special finely-woven nylon. By 1989, she designed and launched her first collection of women's ready-to-wear clothes. This means clothes that are made in standard sizes and sold directly to customers. In 1995, she introduced her first line of menswear.
The Miu Miu fashion line was launched in 1992. It was a less expensive line of women's clothing. Miuccia Prada named it after her own nickname, Miu Miu. The designs for this line were inspired by her personal style.
In 1994, Prada started showing her collections at New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week. She was already showing her designs at Milan Fashion Week. Her husband, Patrizio Bertelli, manages the business side of Prada. He handles sales and how the stores are set up. The company has grown into a large group that includes other brands like Helmut Lang and Jil Sander. Prada now sells leather goods, shoes, perfumes, and clothes for both men and women.
Since 2014, Miuccia Prada has been the co-CEO of Prada, working alongside her husband. In 2020, she presented her last collection as the only creative director for the brand. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this collection was shown through short films. Since then, she has shared the creative director role with Raf Simons.
Other Creative Work
In 2010, Miuccia Prada designed the costumes for the opera "Attila" by Giuseppe Verdi. This opera was performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
Prada's Business Ideas
Miuccia Prada believes that fashion and art are different. She has said, "Art is for expressing ideas and for expressing a vision. My job is to sell." This means she sees her fashion work as creating beautiful things that people will buy.
Awards and Recognition
Miuccia Prada has received many awards for her work in fashion:
- In 1993 and 2004, she won the International Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).
- She won the VH1 Fashion Award for Womenswear Designer of the Year in 1995, 1996, and 1998.
- In 2005, Time Magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People.
- The French Ministry of Culture honored her in 2006.
- In 2013, she was named International Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.
- Forbes magazine listed her as the 75th most powerful woman in 2014.
- In 2015, WSJ Magazine gave her the Fashion Innovator of the Year award.
- She also received the Knight of the Grand Cross, Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2015.
- Glamour USA gave her the Woman of the Year Award in 2016.
- In 2018, the British Fashion Council gave her the Outstanding Achievement Award.
- In 2021, she received the John B. Fairchild Honor for Lifetime Achievement from WWD magazine.
Fashion Exhibitions
In 2012, Miuccia Prada was featured in a special exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibition was called "Impossible Conversations" and also included designs by Elsa Schiaparelli.
Personal Life
Miuccia Prada is married to Patrizio Bertelli, who is also a businessman. They have two sons, born in 1988 and 1990. Their older son, Lorenzo Bertelli, is a rally car driver. Miuccia Prada and her husband live in the same apartment where she was born.
Miuccia Prada enjoys collecting modern art. She owns many artworks by artists known as Young British Artists. She is also friends with famous artists like Cindy Sherman and Francesco Vezzoli.
Over the years, Miuccia Prada has been a godmother to a Luna Rossa boat nine times. These boats are famous for competing in sailing races.
Honour
Italy: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (December 21, 2015)
See also
In Spanish: Miuccia Prada para niños
