Prada AW25 men’s14 Images
The Milan Fashion Week men’s calendar was looking pretty sparse for AW25, as the likes of Fendi and Gucci opted to save themselves for co-ed shows during next month’s women’s outing. It’s made for a quiet weekend all in all, so today’s Prada show brought a welcome dose of excitement – but then, what’s new there? Here’s everything that went down.
It’s been a while since Prada built up the way within its showspace in the Fondazione – last time guests ascended up the stairs was the house’s AW20 show pre-pandemic, when guests overlooked a big red void with a Rem Koolhaus-designed horse at its centre. This time, the house was utilising all available corners by erecting a vast maze of scaffolded platforms, with attendees spreading out across three floors. In contrast to the matte, brushed metal of the steel tubes, the floor was lined with a thick pile carpet bearing a brilliantly naff – and therefore extremely Prada – floral print. Think the hallway of your nan’s house in the late 80s and you’re probably halfway there.
He’s been all over cinema screens recently in BDSM-lite A24 blockbuster Babygirl – encouraging co-star Nicole Kidman to embrace her kinky side by force-feeding her milk and cookies – but Harris Dickinson took a day off from the press tour to show up to the Prada show. It makes sense: the rising star was tapped to step into the spotlight in the house’s SS25 campaign and was recently announced as its new ambassador (ICYMI, he’s also plastered across the front cover of the latest issue of Dazed, which you can still grab a copy of at any self-respecting magazine purveyor). Joining Dickinson on the front row were fellow Prada boys Damson Idris and Troye Sivan, who told us backstage who he’d love to play him in a biopic of his life. Watch that here.
The SS25 Prada women’s show, staged in Milan in September last year, made a case for eclectic, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink dressing, and it was kind of the same idea here at the men’s edition. Backstage, with a glass of champagne in hand, Mrs P and Raf held court with editors to explain how they found joy and romance in spontaneity, and loved when people just did their own thing – which has pretty much been the Prada way from the start.
The steel beams of the scaffolding seemed to allude to the building of a wardrobe, with the house providing the garments with which to do so. But the real fun, the designers appeared to suggest, starts when you mix that in with all the little bits and pieces accumulated across a life – from family hand-me-downs, to thrifted finds, to weird little tchotchkes that cost nothing but carry immense sentimental value.
Despite its trippy roots, last season’s Prada men’s collection felt kind of neat – from the immaculately-pressed slim-cut trousers to the trompe-l’oeil knitted sweaters, everything was very precise and just-so. This time around, things felt a lot more eclectic, with looks bringing together a plethora of elements that shouldn’t have worked but obviously, given this is Prada, really, really did. Satin pyjama trousers were matched – or rather clashed, actually – with slouchy robes in faded checks, while car coats were layered over bare chests, and skinny tailored trousers with pointy boots – a kind of cowboy/winklepicker mash-up situation – which featured heavily throughout.
Chunky nylon parkas were paired with classic button-downs and fine-gauge knitted sweaters and cardigans, while the palette was pretty subdued in muted browns, beiges, navy and grey, shot through with flashes of garish Quality Street purple, tomato red, and a gaudy faded floral print that called to mind 70s-era flower-power soft furnishings.
Final touches came in the form of little basketball charms which hung from zips and bags, and dotted the models’ ears, further cementing the idea that fashion inspiration is best when it comes from unusual sources. It’s about instinct rather than predetermined ideas of dressing this season, which chimes with the current conversation around the return of personal style over the endless trend churn that dominated the past few years.
…albeit faux fur, since Prada denounced the use of the real thing back in 2020. Appearing across lapels, as panels stitched into sweater-vests, and lining the inside of those big, chunky parkas were swathes of different furs, spanning everything from cow-hide to ponyskin, to giraffe print. It’s a trend we’ve seen steadily rising for a while now, and one we’re likely going to be seeing a lot more of as we head into the AW25 shows. Prada is just the beginning.
