Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons proved that optical illusions are more potent than anything else. The creative duo merged the power of reality with a world of (re)imagination, offering a discourse around the real and unreal. According to them, the imaginary can propose a new reality. Discover the Prada Spring/Summer 2025 menswear collection below. Cover image: courtesy of Prada
Also, read: MILAN FASHION WEEK MEN’S SPRING/SUMMER 2025 TREND REPORT
PRADA SPRING/SUMMER 2025 MENSWEAR
Instead of providing a way to escape from life, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons made the spectators look inward, partly through reflections in sunglasses that depicted museum visits and beach visits. The creative duo behind Prada wants us to stop overthinking – that is for sure. It seemed they would instead encourage us to wear whatever we wanted. There were shrunk sleeves reaching no further than the wrists, colorful blouses crammed underneath tightly fitting pullovers, and crinkled jackets and trousers (something we’ve seen before in their womenswear collections). The color palette felt classic Miuccia; when delving into Prada’s archives (which we would highly recommend!), her love for bright hues is hard to overlook.
Unlike Gucci’s menswear collection by Sabato de Sarno, Prada opted out of the ultra-short shorts and instead adopted a playful, almost whimsical way of dressing that felt practically too perfectly normal. But that’s the thing with Prada: you know there’s a rich story and well-thought-out concept behind what you see. And so, nothing was what it seemed.
POWER OF ILLUSION
Besides Miuccia’s signature color palette, the optical illusion tricks felt very Raf. It isn’t new that fashion plays with optical mockery; Loewe’s pixel collection is a big hit, just as many trompe l’oeil looks we’ve seen in the past seasons. The printed belts on trousers and sewn-in collars on pullovers made the audience question what’s real and what’s there to obelize. Furthermore, Prada and Simons play in further detail with the notion of outworn garments, as they did in their previous womenswear collections. Purposefully creased, patinated, aged garments bear traces of time – with imperfections as another sign of living. “There is a spirit of freedom, youthful optimism, and energy,” Prada explained.
It doesn’t matter whether you like the collection or not. The past shows that Prada dictates future trends anyway. So, instead of judging the collection, posing the right questions might be more important than coming up with the correct answers. Because, after all, many things aren’t what they seem.
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