Miuccia's World
13:30
When looking at market trends and where brands stand in the world of retail, it's interesting to look at Prada. With Miu Miu beginning as a diffusion line to reel in younger consumers, it's now close to overcoming Prada in relevance and status, with the new generations of celebrities, such as Rookie's Tavi Gevinson, often wearing the brand. Prada's luxury reputation still stands, but with the two brand's becoming very similar, it's a unique example of outstanding work by Miuccia Prada.
Both brand's ready-to-wear, which shows at Paris, is at similar price points. Sunglasses cost between £200-£350, which is what most high street shoppers could aspire to realistically buy. The clothing is at the standard, £700 for a blouse, RTW pricing. When researching the brand, I found numerous articles from as recent as 2012 still calling Miu Miu the "affordable" version of Prada, which is now laughable. Miuccia Prada must have seen the desire from consumers for more Miu Miu, and knew she could charge just as much as Prada, as their reputations within the industry are at an equal level. The only price difference I found was in the bags, which is understandable, as Prada was once best known for their understated bags, with the famous triangle logo. Saying that, Miu Miu bags can still set you back over a grand. In my Prada/Miu Miu competitors matrix, we can see that they share many rivals. Louis Vuitton's more playful and fresh collections from Nicolas Ghesquiere is competition to both, as LV has the big fashion house reputation with the new younger aesthetic. Like Ghesquiere, Alessandro Michele's Gucci is similar to the quirkiness of Miu Miu, with similar pricing. Brands like Jaeger and Carven aren't as expensive or carry the luxury image, but clearly take inspiration.
Prada was always seen as the more sophisticated and lady-like older sister of the youthful and colourful Miu Miu, however, their distinctions have been coming less noticeable, with Prada adopting the playful look. I noticed that many of their collections have huge similarities; in terms of shoes, both are currently selling velvet platforms, punk ballet flats, and patent mary-janes. Perhaps Miuccia knows what sells, and this is what her consumers want. The old/young divide for both brands no longer exists, so she can play around with meeting both styles in the middle. It could also show how hands on she is in the design process of both brands, which is refreshing to clearly see what her inspiration was while working on the collections.
Although different seasons, you can see how Miuiccia and her team had layering and playing with opacity in mind. Also, here's evidence of Prada going completely Miu Miu; they could have been from the same collection and nobody would notice.
For Fall 17, Miuccia went for warm, rich colours in velvets, brocade, and fur. Both brands above use fur cuffs, but in their own ways. Small detailing, like the shade of fur and how refined the shape is, remind us what brand is what, and what they stand for. Spring 16 both chose 60s inspired check, but Miu Miu went for school-girl goth, and Prada; Mad Men glamour.
I'm personally a huge fan of both Prada and Miu Miu, and continually appreciate what Miuccia does for the industry. For a fashion house with such a grand reputation to uphold, it could had easily been left to regurgitate the same old staples, like Lagerfeld's Chanel. However, Miuccia always keeps things interesting, pushing boundaries, but still keeping in mind who her customers are, and how her creative decisions affect the entire retail market.
all image credits go to vogue.com, matrix is my own
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