Racism, sexism, terrorism — it feels like the world is in all kinds of chaos right now, and everybody is feeling increasing pressure to make their voice heard and take a stand. In the fashion world, designers are using their creativity and influence to help tackle some of these critical issues. “I never wanted to be directly political in my job,” Miuccia Prada expressed in an interview with Dazed Digital. “We couldn’t not take care of what was happening.”
Prada is referring to her Fall/Winter 2017 collection, in which she tapped on gender politics by covering the walls of her 70s-inspired show space with vintage-style movie posters featuring femme fatales in technicolour, along with reworked titles from novels and movies. These fantasy women — glamorous but deadly — can be spotted throughout the collection too, covered in vinyl dresses and marabou-trimmed skirts.
These poster illustrations are courtesy of American artist Robert McGinnis, who also created some of Hollywood’s most iconic movie posters including James Bond, Barbarella and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. By putting this stereotypically sexist pin-up culture under the spotlight, Miuccia Prada explored the role women have had in the shaping of modern society and, most importantly, addressed how little improvement the world’s made over the past half-decade regarding the one-dimensional positioning of women in our society. Indeed, why can’t a woman be simultaneously intelligent and seductive?
Inviting us all to address this issue in style, Prada has just released a unique capsule collection, titled “Prada Poster Girl,” featuring t-shirts, sweaters and dresses all emblazoned with prints inspired by those at the runway show. As one of the posters proclaims: “Fashion is about the everyday and the everyday is the political stage of our freedoms.” Perhaps it’s time to start getting yourself involved.
The “Prada Poster Girl” capsule collection is now available in select Prada stores as well as on prada.com.
Prada, Shop G4, Alexandra House, Central, Hong Kong, +852 2522 2989