Everything
Over the weekend Pradasphere II, an immersive journey through the illustrious history and culture of Prada, opened up its doors at the Start Museum in Shanghai with key friends of the brand including muse Jeff Goldblum and Hunter Schafer attending. The exhibition, curated by co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, is a mobile museum of the Prada legacy, a blend of past and present featuring over 400 artefacts in both tangible and digital format. These relics draw from Prada’s extensive fashion archive and decades-long collaborations across diverse domains such as art, architecture, culture, and sports.
Building on the success of the OG event back in 2014, Pradasphere II delves deep into the groundbreaking trajectory of Prada, exploring the enduring influence of its vision on the realms of luxury, beauty, and fashion as a cerebral pursuit. The exhibition itself is an artful juxtaposition, embodying the fusion of raw industrial aesthetics with refined elegance. Designed in collaboration with the innovative minds at 2×4, a New York City and Beijing-based design studio, the exhibition space is a breathtaking blend of industrial warehouse shelving adorned with opulent pink silk velvet.
Pradasphere II serves as a microcosm of the multifaceted Prada universe, asserting a novel perspective on luxury. It underscores the notion that fashion intersects with every facet of life, from history and art to sport, architecture, and even sound.
The main corridor of this fashion magazzino showcases nearly 200 iconic looks spanning both women’s and men’s collections. Some of these pieces, hidden from the world for over three decades, have been meticulously selected by co-creator Raf Simons, who transformed from an external admirer into an insider.
Beyond the central corridor, visitors encounter a series of thematic rooms, each an epitome of the unique Prada experience. The green velvet entrance, inspired by Prada’s foundational style, features an original Andreas Gursky photograph, offering a glimpse into the brand’s early retail history.
Fratelli Prada, a recreation of the original Milan shop, presents visitors with high-resolution videos of the original objects alongside recreations of early 1920s murals by Mario Prada. PRADA A MILANO showcases a collection of early Nylon pieces and photographs by renowned photographer Albert Watson.
GALLERY, a unique space within the exhibition, unveils two new Damien Hirst artworks featuring precious handbags from Prada’s archive, symbolizing the brand’s enduring collaboration with the art world. GREEN STORE recreates a fragment of Prada’s iconic store display, presenting a chronological evolution of the brand’s most remarkable shoes.
CINEMA offers a continuous screening of Prada’s collaborations with renowned directors like Ridley Scott, Wes Anderson, David O. Russell, and Yang Fudong. VITRINE highlights twenty iconic bags from Prada’s archive, each bearing the distinctive Prada sensibility and impeccable craftsmanship.
ARCHITECTURE delves into previously unreleased documents related to major Prada architectural projects by architects Rem Koolhaas/OMA, Jacques Herzog/Herzog & de Meuron, and others. MATERIALITY spotlights twenty never-before-exhibited skirts created exclusively for the Shanghai Pradasphere, showcasing Prada’s exceptional craftsmanship and materiality.
LUNA ROSSA, the Prada sailing syndicate, offers visitors a glimpse into Prada’s passion for sports, featuring a sailing simulator and Luna Rossa uniforms. LINEA ROSSA showcases Prada’s technical innovations and competition spirit through a range of signature garments with the iconic red blaze.
RE-NYLON explores Prada’s commitment to sustainable materials, featuring Re-Nylon looks and films from their collaboration with National Geographic. FONDAZIONE PRADA provides an overview of thirty remarkable exhibitions staged by Prada’s art foundation, showcasing the brand’s enduring connection to culture in various forms.
To complete the experience, Pradasphere Caffè is a luxurious area where guests can savor coffee, cocktails, and Italian snacks amidst projected walls displaying iconic Prada fashion show spaces.
The Start Museum in Shanghai, a recent renovation by Jean Nouvel, houses two historic train cars that serve as a gift shop and workshop area for visitors. Throughout the exhibition, world-renowned electronic musician Plastikman, also known as Richie Hawtin, provides bespoke soundscapes that evolve as visitors navigate the space.
For those unable to attend in person, a beautifully designed book accompanying the exhibition will offer an immersive inventory of the magazzino’s contents. It will include a foreword by Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli, insights from Raf Simons on curating the archive, and an essay by Michael Rock.
Pradasphere II is open to the public, free of charge, from December 7, 2023, to January 21, 2024, at the Start Museum, 111 Ruining Road, Xuhui District.
