The notoriously straight-shooting and often volatile chief executive of Prada, Patrizio Bertelli, is on the cover of the March issue of WSJ., out this Saturday. He is profiled along with wife Miuccia Prada in an article discussing among many things the couple's 30-year-long relationship, Prada's initial public offering, the company's debt build-up as a result of acquisitions in the 1990s, and the current household controversy over internet strategies and whether or not to dress celebrities.
The article opens with Bertelli shouting at Neiman Marcus' 72-year-old chairman, Burt Tansky, about how the Dallas-based department store displays its Prada merchandise. But thing really get interesting when the interviewer inquires about the brand's internet plans and brings up a recent U.S. newspaper article suggesting Prada was late to the online world compared with brands like Burberry. Miuccia Prada's reaction:
"I think it's bulls-. Why does showing a photo of someone wearing a trench coat online mean being open to the world? What's that got to do with anything?"
While Bertelli is trying to convince Prada to interact more online—both with bloggers and fans—she is adimentely opposed to Twitter and feels there something fundamentally wrong with the way other designers "throw random answers out there." Bertelli acknowledges hers is an "elitist response" to a "democratic" medium.
The article goes on to reveal another ongoing dispute over celebrity dressing: "He says that we are snobs and that we don't understand pop culture," Prada says.
When planning for the upcoming year, Bertelli's focus seems to be on store expansions and opening new boutiques in order lessen Prada's dependance on U.S. wholesale businesses, like that of Mr. Tansky's. The complete article will be on newsstands March 13.
Miuccia Prada
WSJ Goes Inside the House of Prada With Patrizio Bertelli's "Miuccia and Me"
Miuccia Prada Channels Sixties Heiress for Miu Miu Pre-Fall 2010
If your favorite great auntie, who lived on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in the Sixties, opened up her closet and handed over a well-preserved collection of vintage fox fur jackets, plaid coat dresses with gold buttons and matching bottoms, and baby doll dresses with peter pan collars, you would not have to purchase a single item from Miuccia Prada's pre-fall collection for Miu Miu. However, if said relative and wardrobe does not exists, you can get the desired bourgeois vintage look with Prada's chunky, knitted mittens and knee-high socks when the collection lands in stores late this summer.
Lady Gaga and Francesco Vezzoli Blur Lines Between Art and Entertainment at MOCA Bash
The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles spared no expense for its 30th anniversary celebration over the weekend. Lady Gaga performed her new ballad, "Speechless" in an art-meets-entertainment spectacle masterminded by Italian artist Francesco Vezzoli. The production featured a dance by the Bolshoi Ballet, Gaga on a pink piano painted with butterflies by Damien Hirst, and costumes by Miuccia Prada.
Hosted by POP magazine's Dasha Zhukova and Larry Gagosian the event was attended by 1,000 guests from the worlds of fashion (Carine Roitfeld, Cameron Silver, Kate and Laura Mulleavy), art (Takashi Murakami, David Hockney, Jeff Koons), music (Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani), and film (Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, James Franco).
"My wish is that the entertainment industry makes love more often with the art industry," said Vezzoli of the production. "I love that," replied Gaga. "Having my fans watch the [performance] video and be exposed to a level of art and a level of installation is so beautiful and so important."
Click the gallery below to check out photos from the red carpet and inside the event.
Los Angeles 11/14/09 Getty, Wireimage
Prada Tome Will Celebrate 30 Years of Innovation and Experimentation
Patrizio Bertelli and Miuccia Prada have created a 706-page book for the purpose of capturing Prada's innovations in fashion, art, architecture, and film throughout the past three decades.
The Italian brand has established itself as more than a producer of beautiful clothing and handbags with a history of championing young artists—Tom Sachs, Mariko Mori, Nathalie Djurberg, and Francesco Vezzoli; forming the Prada Art Foundation; and investing in a number of public arts projects including the recent Prada Transformer in Seoul, designed by Rem Koolhaas.
As Bertelli, CEO of Prada Group, explained to WWD, "The book wants to illustrate the various aspects through which Prada expresses itself."
"Prada" will be sold internationally in Prada stores for about $150.
[WWD]
Quote Of The Day: Miuccia Prada On The Frivolity Of Fashion
If you compare it with philosophy [fashion] is frivolous. But frivolity may be something good, something that is part of our lives. So I don’t dislike it. And what I like is the mix — that in your life you can have serious things, more frivolous ones. Fashion is about beauty and the search for beauty, I think it’s a fundamental thing. No one criticizes if you want to do beautiful homes. No one criticizes if you want to buy a beautiful chair. But so many intellectuals still criticize why you want to wear beautiful clothes, and it’s only our body, so it must be important in a way.
”via "Miuccia Prada Explains What Was Up With Those Wader Boots", The CutFashion In 50 Seconds 05/29/09 Miuccia Talks & More
Miuccia Prada was interviewed by CNN's Talk Asia and spoke about wader boots, the Italian stock exchange and how she went to mime school for six years. ..
Emma Cook is discontinuing her line next Fall while Veronique Branquinho is in the process of liquidating.
A few new names have made it onto the Men's Fashion Week roster including Tim Hamilton and Alexis Mabille.
H&M's uptown opening called for shopping and drinking by a good number of pant-less partygoers.
Paris Fashion Week: Miu Miu Fall 2009
Paris 03/12/09. Photos by Pierre Verdy/AFP/Getty Images & Karl Prouse/Catwalking/Getty Images.
Quote Of The Day: Miuccia Prada Talks To Cathy Horyn Backstage
Glamour, glamour, city-girl glamour--That’s not about feeling alive.
Miuccia Prada On The Economy
I don’t know why this whole idea of customers moving away from expensive brands would apply to fashion only. It should be across the board then because a sophisticated consumers buys expensive art, design and furniture. I’m really pleased that we’ve always worked much more on the product than on the brand and I think this pays back. Crisis always pushes you to do better.
”"Miuccia Prada Muses About The Economy" WWD.Fashion In 50 Seconds 01/19/09 The Alexander McQueen For Target Lookbook & More
The Alexander McQueen for Target lookbook has finally surfaced, just in time for a March 1st launch at Target stores nationwide...
Miuccia Prada spoke about the recession before her Fall 2009 Men's show began last night in Milan.
Gareth Pugh will be guest editing an issue of Time Out London alongside Daphne Guinness, both will model for the cover of the issue, wearing looks from Pugh's Spring 09 collection.
Anna Wintour attended the debut of her film The September Issue at Sundance, and took questions with director R.J. Cutler.
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