Prada Will KonMari Your Style for Spring 2020

Miuccia Prada describes her latest collection for Prada as being "Simple, not minimal." At the base of everything, the aim of the collection is to reduce the wardrobe to its essentials, materializing only what is really significant. A few months after Marie Kondo's show debuted on Netflix, this is the Prada way to KonMari your life, and while the result is a collection ready for any occasion, conceptualizing it is quite the challenge.

"Fashion easily takes your hand, and you have to know how to distinguish what is really strong from what is not," explained the designer. "My current feeling is that there is too much of everything and that the time has come to commit seriously to producing less. Which is a contradiction because the press, buyers, and the public are constantly looking for something new.” At a time when most scientists agree that the fashion industry is contributing to the climate crisis across the Earth, narrowing down our consumption to its “essentials” should be one of our top priorities. Prada was part of the group of organizations that committed to last month's Fashion Pact, so it's fitting that Miuccia has explored a sustainability-related theme for her latest collection.

Beyond the clothes themselves, the protagonists of the show are the models. Somewhat like the Marc Jacobs show but with an entirely different aesthetic, Gigi Hadid, Kaia Gerber, and many other fashion favorites each play a character of sorts, with each look representing a world of its own. The final product brings together a series of elegant archetypes that find meaning in the nature of the model who wears it.

"I love watching girls backstage to see if they like what they're wearing," Miuccia said of this individual approach. "This season, more than ever, it’s their personalities that take over the style. They define the eccentricity of a look." Colors range from neutrals, black, and glimpses of gold to bold flares of color like orange. Structured fabrics alternate with raw silk gauze, and leather also plays an important part in the collection, in beautiful shades of lilac and colorful allover prints that add a retro touch tailor-made for a world that still continually obsesses over nostalgia.

Prada’s focus on wardrobe essentials is also evident in the series of sandals and in the leather bucket bags. "I wanted to represent a common need to stop and understand what, even in fashion, makes sense and what doesn't," the designer concluded while explaining her vision backstage. Judging by the audience’s reaction, she more than accomplished her mission.