ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Prada's Runway History Compiled in Monumental Coffee Table Book

publication · 2026-05-04

Edited by Susannah Frankel, 'Prada. Sfilate' (L'Ippocampo, 2019) spans 632 pages and documents Miuccia Prada's fashion presentations from 1988 to 2019. The book is bound in a blue fabric cover and includes four blue ribbon bookmarks, featuring 'ugly chic' typography. Its introduction outlines Prada's career trajectory starting in 1979. More than 300 pages are dedicated to women's runway collections, highlighting her evolution from the inaugural 1988 show to the contentious spring/summer 1991 collection, where the term 'ugly chic' was first introduced in 1996. Additionally, it showcases images from the spring/summer 2012 show and references the 'Schiaparelli and Prada' exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in May 2012. Prada became a public company on June 24, 2011, and unveiled the 2019 cruise collection in New York.

Key facts

  • Book 'Prada. Sfilate' published by L'Ippocampo in 2019, 632 pages, €49.90.
  • Edited by Susannah Frankel; introduction covers Miuccia Prada's career since 1979.
  • First women's show in 1988; style described as classicism, luxury, school uniforms, Italian neorealism.
  • Spring/summer 1991 collection criticized by Women's Wear Daily as 'Pebbles Flintstone' style.
  • Label 'ugly chic' coined for spring/summer 1996 collection by La Repubblica journalist.
  • Spring/summer 2012 show featured floral lace, rhinestone embroidery, 1950s car prints, flame-ornamented sandals.
  • May 2012: Met exhibition 'Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations' curated by Andrew Bolton.
  • Prada listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange on June 24, 2011, first fashion brand to do so.
  • 2019 cruise collection presented at Herzog & de Meuron venue in New York with Times Square projection.
  • Fondazione Prada has venues in Milan and Venice.

Entities

Artists

  • Miuccia Prada
  • Susannah Frankel
  • Andrew Bolton
  • Yves Saint Laurent
  • Herzog & de Meuron

Institutions

  • Prada
  • L'Ippocampo Edizioni
  • Women's Wear Daily
  • La Repubblica
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Hong Kong Stock Exchange
  • Fondazione Prada
  • Artribune

Locations

  • Milan
  • Venice
  • New York
  • Times Square
  • Hong Kong

Sources