Miuccia Prada: The Woman Behind a Billion Dollar Brand

Miuccia Prada The Woman Behind a Billion Dollar Brand
Miuccia Prada’s iconic impact on the fashion industry is nothing short of magical. The Italian family brand has a long history as a fashion house that only makes the highest quality leather handmade goods. However, the history behind the ultra-high price tag of PRADA items is lesser known.

The iconic inverted pyramid logo, as it sets heavy in metal on every piece, is a signature of many celebrity and royal styles as well as top fashion collectors, and each piece is an example of extravagance. But what is behind each piece is even more valuable -- the Prada name. The legacy, the bloodline, and the irresistible creations of a Made in Italy style only PRADA can capture, is why each item can fetch the price it does.

It all started when the youngest daughter of Mario Prada, Miuccia Prada, took over the luxury goods company back in 1978. Today, the CEO and lead designer of the fashion empire originally founded by her grandfather, Miuccia runs the business with her husband, billionaire Patrizio Bertelli.
 
prada window


As a brand, PRADA has set the standard for lavish lifestyles, and it is well-known that as a fashion designer, Miuccia Prada specializes in making the most influential and culturally charged pieces. If you have heard about PRADA, you may also know that every A-lister, celebrity, and royal own a piece from the iconic brand.

A billion dollar company, PRADA is also a fashion powerhouse responsible for making some of the highest-quality leather goods including handbags, accessories, shoes, perfumes and other items.

Miuccia Prada: The Woman

Born with the name Maria Prada in 1949, she attended Milan University before working within the family business founded by Mario Prada in 1913. Renowned for its leather goods, fine stitching, and sturdy construction, the polished steamer trunks, suitcases, and handbags were the first to become popular. Miuccia Prada married co-CEO billionaire Patrizio Bertelli in 1987 and inherited the PRADA company in 1989.
 
Miuccia Prada The Woman

Releasing collection after ready-to-wear collection, Miuccia Prada designs quickly became known for their clean lines, dropped waistlines, narrow belts, rare fabrics, and vibrant color contrast. It is the originality of PRADA that makes it so recognizable, but the logo is considered a prominent design element and a signature.
 
Miuccia Prada at fashion awards

Recently, at the December 10 Fashion Awards, Miuccia Prada was given the Outstanding Achievement Award. The ceremony held in London’s Royal Albert Hall hosted guests including Donatella Versace, Ralph Lauren, Karl Lagerfeld, and Manolo Blahnik CBE to name a few. This was just one showcase of Miuccia’s ability to contribute to the fashion community in a real way.

Miuccia Prada: The Work

The end of the 1970s brought the partnership of Miuccia Prada and her future husband, Tuscan entrepreneur, Patrizio Bertelli. As a business owner of high-quality leather goods himself, the two of them were an ideal partnership both professionally and personally. With Bertelli as business manager and Miuccia acting as creative director, the PRADA brand rapidly grew during the 1990s-2000s with a men’s line and exclusive eyewear.
 
prada the work

PRADA backpacks and totes were released in 1979, made out of ultra-tough military fabrics. Black speck nylon was the chosen material inspired by her grandfather who used it to cover steamer trunks. While the initial success was not seen, the lack of advertising was said to be the reason. Hard to sell in the beginning, the PRADA bags would soon become a hit.

Wholesale accounts were established so the bags would fly off the shelves in department stores and upscale boutiques across the globe. Released as the “nylon tote,” the next big thing from PRADA happened that very same year as part of an expansion across Europe.
prada bag

Opening in Paris, Florence, Madrid, and New York City, the house of Prada was moving forward. Continuing in the direction of growth, PRADA released an exclusive shoe line in 1984. Miuccia’s momentum didn’t stop there! She released the classic Prada handbag with sleek lines, sturdy construction, and signature lavishness.  

Later, Miuccia Prada extended her creativity to design more than just clothing. Her architecture was a passion that she and Bertelli shared together to create contemporary artwork leading to what is known today as the Fondazione Prada, aiming to deliver "the most radical intellectual challenges in contemporary art and culture."

PRADA is more than just high-quality crafted handbags, accessories, and luxury travel items. 2004 marked the year that the CFDA presented PRADA with the International Award, and in 2005, Time magazine placed Miuccia on the list of the top 100 most influential people in the world. Having, “provoked and influenced colleagues for years with her eccentric and highly personal sensibility,” she was honored and revered.
prada shoes

In March 2011, new exhibition space was announced by the Fondazione Prada in Venice. Additionally, Miuccia Prada was awarded numerous accolades for her contributions to the international fashion runway. In 2013, Prada was also honored by the British Fashion Council and then in 2014, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York dedicated its annual exhibition to her, along with Elsa Schiaparelli, titled Elsa Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations.
 
red prada shoe

Miuccia PRADA: The Brand

Originally, the company was started back in 1913 by Miuccia Prada’s grandfather Mario and his brother Martino. Their humble beginning as a leather goods shop owners in Milan, Italy, was the birth of Miuccia Prada’s estimated $2.6 billion dollar net worth.

After taking over the company in 1978, the PRADA brand was documented with sales up to $450,000. Her creativity was released onto the runways and from there, Miuccia would only continue to bring her ideas into the house of PRADA, changing it forever.  
miumiu


Reaching number 22 on the list of top earners in the fashion industry, Miuccia Prada, along with Alberto and Marina Prada, and her husband Patrizio Bertelli, own 80% of the luxury fashion brand. The PRADA subsidiary, Miu Miu, was founded in 1993 by the luxury luggage company owners daughter.
As the current CEO of the company, Miuccia Prada and her husband reportedly cover the brand image and design management together. The brand assets have hit highs and lows, but, as you may expect, the PRADA brand will hold strong as the family name continues to remain one of the most beloved brands in fashion.
miumiu hadnbag

Exclusivity is what made PRADA one of the most influential fashion houses in the 1990s, with reported sales estimated around $31.7 million in 1998. Today, the same exclusiveness is what makes the PRADA brand a clear leader in fashion as it has been since 1913.  

A Final Note on Miuccia Prada

The role of Miuccia Prada as CEO of a leading global fashion house is instrumental to the runway. Not only does high-fashion need the hot pop of PRADA color and style, but everyday life also needs the name. Built like their family on the foundation of quality and craftsmanship, every piece in the PRADA collection reveals that style clearly runs in the family.
miuccia prada on a boat

“Mrs. Prada is the most revered, most inspirational and probably the most copied designer of her generation,” Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful said. “She’s bold and she’s not scared to break rules or go into new territory. She has made us look at body shape differently. She has made us look at what is ugly and what is beautiful. She has trained people’s eyes to a new way of dressing, one that is not based on the classic idea of the female form. She’s a genius!”

Inspired by the life of Miuccia Prada? Feel free to browse our blog section for similar articles, and discover more interesting stories about magnificent avant-garde women, fashion icons, rebels, leaders, visionaries and innovators, women who were ahead of their time!

 
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