On Sunday I had the pleasure of attending the Prada Men’s Spring/Summer ‘27 show in Milan. Despite the sweltering heat, the Fondazione Prada lightbox was cool and ascetic. Benches made of perspex sat atop a grid of strip lights – a constant trip hazard and light pre-show entertainment.
The show opened with the Pacman credit music, then quickly transitioned to a discordant mix of Vivaldi and pumping techno. It was like hearing your older relative scroll through reels at full volume.
The show, entitled “Clarity”, was a consolidation of Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons to distill menswear into something controllable. Despite the name, the collection isn’t minimalist. The bold prints and vibrant colours kept it fresh. However, it was a distillation into a single silhouette. Raf described the collection backstage as "pasta al pomodoro" (few ingredients, flawlessly executed). Miuccia explicitly stated her current obsession is eradicating "useless design."
Julia Nobis, a female Aussie model, opened the show, followed swiftly by her male doppelganger. It was controlled chaos – each model sported scruffy bed hair, cigarette-thin proportions, and a recognisably cohesive palette of dirty beige, lime green, burgundy, and black. Sleeves crept past the wrist, and many recognisable menswear classics – the five pocket jean, trucker jacket, and tank top – were rendered see-through.
The standout head-to-toes were undoubtedly the matching sets. Denim jacket and jeans in brown, burgundy, and yellow. A Peter Pan collared 40s jacket in black leather with skinny leather trou. My favourite – a dirty beige leather bomber with frog-toed collar and matching pants. It was modestly mod – print clashes and drainpipe jeans updated for todays’ hotter climes, yet without the wink-nudge of a sunny 60s disposition. It was also a thorough rejection of the slouchy, comfortable, oversized shapes that have defined menswear of late.
Nylon and leather bags hung from belt loops like chalk bags, freaky leather derbies were velcroed shut with fingerlike tabs, and belts were warped, thick, and unwieldy. The sunglasses were the most ‘Grammable – of the half-and-half Vaudeville style. Wayfarers were spliced with wire-framed shooting goggles, a big swing that will no doubt be impossible to source in 10 years.
Watching the collection would make the regular punter overwhelmed. I was overwhelmed. The reality is, modern life is saturated with digital noise, algorithmic feeds, and market volatility. But up close and in isolation, each piece is the canny product of decades of market research. I was surprised – everything was so simple. No one would wear head-to-toe merlot denim, but as a jacket paired with a simpler jean or trouser it is, like all things fashion, a status symbol. The single signifier is three studs to patch on the triangle logo – perhaps the simplest logo in all fashion.
It’s not accidental. Amid a two-year luxury downturn, Prada has consistently outperformed most peers. Despite the Group posting €5.718 billion in revenue for FY2025 – with 20 consecutive quarters of growth – the Prada brand itself declined 1%. Growth was carried almost entirely by Miu Miu, which was up 35% YoY, targeting a younger and more maximalist consumer, and the acquisition of Versace. Prada was at a crossroads. Challenged by the maximalist success of Miu Miu, there was only one decision: clarify the mission. "Clarity" was a brand differentiation strategy against both Miu Miu's maximalism and the wider industry's quiet luxury arms race.
Luxury’s biggest boon is the ‘betrayal economy’ – with the active global client base shrinking from 400 million buyers in 2022 to just 330 million. Aspirational buyers have completely walked away, fatigued by aggressive price hikes on goods that lack real substance. Instead, a tiny fraction of big spenders – the top 0.1% of consumers – now drive 37% of total global luxury market value.
Prada is aggressively shrinking its outlet exposure and focusing entirely on high-margin, full-price execution for this few. There’s enough for the ostentatious – see-through pants, split personality sunnies, and freaky shoes – and enough for the subtle – leather bikers, sling bags, and breton jumpers. Perhaps the unifying factor is the BMI.
The show closed to the Kill Bill soundtrack – a katana flick to any brand going all-in on oversized. With every brand vying for attention online – Prada is officially bowing out, as low as those leather pants will take them.
