Miuccia Prada’s position amongst the upper echelons of fashion luminaries solidifies this 10 December when she becomes the latest recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award at The Fashion Awards 2018 in partnership with Swarovski. The Outstanding Achievement Award seeks to acknowledge – and honour – individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in their contributions to the fashion industry. With this accolade, Prada joins the likes of industry leaders such as Donatella Versace, Karl Lagerfield and Anna Wintour, amongst others.
Miuccia Prada has been at the helm of the Prada fashion brand for 40 years as lead creative director and co-chief executive officer. When Prada first took over the reigns of her family business in 1978, she collaborated with Patrizio Bertelli, a pioneer who practised a new business model for the luxury industry, one that called for direct involvement and quality control across all production stages. Under Prada’s skillful guidance, her family’s small leather goods house developed into one of the leading ready-to-wear brands on the globe today.
One of Prada’s most defining moments can be attributed to the creation of her (now) signature nylon backpack; the bag’s sleek and minimalistic design heralded the beginning of a new era for clothes and accessories for women, while challenging the status quo of conservative luxury. Meanwhile, her wildly successful ready-to-wear line for women resonated with the young and liberal, going so far as to be described as the “uniform for the slightly disenfranchised”. Prada’s deep examination and experimentation with fashion and trends has given birth to timeless collections that appeal to a multitude of individuals from all walks of life.
