Milan, 25 September, 2026–A few days after the kickoff of Milan Fashion Week, the Italian fashion capital has shown significant signs of courage, strength, and ability to show its ability to create quality and creativity, despite the general tough times, and is getting back to shine, as in the glorious ’80s and ’90s. Among other designers, Prada stands out significantly for three main reasons I point out below.
Point 1. Let’s take for granted that Anna Wintour recalled attention to the much-talked-about Vogue World event held on the first evening of Milan Fashion Week. Despite reminding much of “The Devil Wears Prada 2”—but we don’t know if fiction takes inspiration from reality or viceversa–let’s not forget she had tried, years ago, to move every other show to New York Fashion Week. But Milan remained steady at its place, thanks to its Mr. Mario Boselli, former president (and now honorary president) of Camera Moda, and Italian designers who didn’t abandon the city’s catwalks. That’s how she had to learn the lesson “If you can’t beat them, join them.”
What a pity that the Milanese event meant to show craftsmanship combined with technology, but what stroke most were robots acting like models. Best would have been showing how technology is an indispensable ally of craftsmanship and industrial production in fashion creation and not as a very expensive entertainment game. The project had surely positive ambitions in financing a public library in Quarto Oggiaro, an off-hand area with Milan in economic difficulty, though participants to the show-event had to pay from €25,000 to €15,000 to occupy the first rows, as reported by Italian press.
Point 2. Prada dominated the opening day and the week, and—above all—it is showing that building a true Italian fashion system—as juxtaposed to French giant holdings—is possible. And it is doing it by slowly building an Italian system of Italian of prestigious brands like Versace, adding up to the ones they already own, through constant growth.
And for this Fashion Week, it did it by taking the stage. Not only did Prada give the “go” to the week as the first catwalk show, but it also closed the day—writing “The End” words—with a party held after the Vogue event for the inauguration of its Prada Galleria, the 8-level system of stores, museum, gallery, and connected activities of this very Milanese exclusive savoir-faire brand connected together in the middle of the superb Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and the most beautiful “salotto” of the city.
Point 3. Not less important was the statement Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons gave, presenting a wardrobe focused on the true essence of the Pradesque wardrobe—the skirt.
After reinventing her idea of 50 shades of jeans for Prada Men during the June Menswear Shows, the creative duo continued disclosing a different staple—this time—of a woman’s wardrobe, offering the most creative versions of the skirt.
A-shaped, but also plissé, as round as a complete circle, often slightly overlapped, but also encrusted with decors, laces, crystals, flowers, and fancy prints, along with fluo Velcro macro details, or with a bunch of pleats on a side (to be carried on a hand) and many other unique interpretations of placing new emphasis on the apparently simplest item of women’s fashion.
Mixed with a bra, a top, a sweater, a leather perfecto, or more. Using unexpected materials—from ciré matt to Re-Nylon—by doing so, she implicitly—and explicitly—quoted herself as she once said, “The skirt is like the t-shirt for me,” and this time created a full collection out of it, disclosing a new chapter of Pradology, ruling once again the crazy—but very rational and serious for Miuccia, Raf, and every other player—fashion world.