*New Collection
Prada's Fall/Winter 2023
Where the Surreal meets the Sublime
written John Heath
Prada's Fall/Winter 2023 women's and men's campaign pushes boundaries, exploring a world of beauty, love, and care with their latest collection inspired by the eternal metaphor of flowers, symbolizing tenderness and affection. Not just the regular old posies, but human-sized blooms reimagined to express otherworldly emotions and delicately interwoven with an exquisite line-up of global cinema stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Hunter Schafer, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Letitia Wright, and Li Xian.
Li Xian for PRADA FW24
seen Willy Vanderperre
creative direction Ferdinando Verderi
Prada's rich history of relationship with cinema fuels the campaign, letting its muses' mastery of their craft inspire feelings through words, actions, and intense gazes. Flowers, depicted in this campaign as colossal participants, become more than just ageless symbols of beauty; they become silent protagonists in a series of surreal conversations, bridging the gap between the everyday and the extraordinary, and becoming tangible conduits of emotion. The narrative transcends cultures and languages as it dives deep into the visual, bringing the improbable to life.
Behind the lens, acclaimed photographer Willy Vanderperre encapsulates each of these rare moments, from the grandiose figures to the stunning, oversized blooms. Through each frame, the figures and flowers engage in visual and literal dialogues, resulting in an evocative contrast of human and natural beauty.
Adding depth to these intriguing exchanges, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham, known for his mastery in "The Hours" (1998), scripts the accompanying campaign films. As the cast converses with these unlikely floral giants, we are taken on a rollercoaster ride through a kaleidoscope of paradoxical dialogues, simultaneously odd and extraordinary.
Prada's campaign speaks in volumes about the dichotomy of the flower and humanity itself - the delicate balance of fragility and strength, the precious and the mundane, the ephemeral and eternal. Each flower becomes a reflection of the human experience - unique, expressive, and deeply intertwined with our thoughts and feelings. This emotional depth and complexity are what the brand taps into, bringing out the unexpected synergy between the human experience and floral beauty.
Kodi Smit-McPhee for PRADA FW24
Prada's FW23 collection is an externalisation of the intangible, a celebration of real emotion through seemingly unreal imagery.
The real and surreal cross paths, reminding us that there's always something extraordinary within the ordinary - if we only choose to see it.