Prada’s Age of Innovation Documented In New Photo Book
Miuccia Prada has long been dubbed a fashion futurist. Not in the sense of space-age pioneers like Paco Rabanne and Pierre Cardin whose futuristic fashions had fashion looking to the stars, but as a sartorial mystic whose innovative approach shaped industry practices (and taste) before anyone else. This supernatural ability was most evident at the turn of the millennium when the brand was at the forefront of the cutting edge both aesthetically and philosophically. It’s this era that’s being documented in IDEA’s latest release, Prada Archive: 1998-2002.
That era for the brand was shaped in part by campaigns of photographer Norbert Schoerner. The German photographer was integral in not only shaping the Prada aesthetic during those years but the fashion landscape as a whole. As the 90s became the 00s, cybercore (AKA Y2K futurism) was all the rage with technological mania defining the zeitgeist.
As some of Prada’s most experimental campaigns, Schoerener’s images were also the first time the brand used computer retouching. The result? A euphoric and utopian vision that blended reality with fantasy, creating surreal landscapes and futuristic aesthetics that captivated audiences. This innovative approach not only highlighted Prada's avant-garde spirit but also set a new standard for visual storytelling in the fashion industry.
‘Working with Prada takes a long time,’ explains Schoerner. ‘It was very fragmented. Work in progress. We weren’t working from a script. We were re-writing the script all the time. Formulating the concept every day. The work proceeds with failures and reacts to changes. It’s very much an empirical process. And that’s the luxury of these campaigns. Other brands didn’t give you the time to do that.’
This collaborative approach between photographer and brand resulted in some of the most innovative fashion images of the time. While his work remains referenced today, the book takes things a step further with additional art direction by Jonny Lu Studio. The book featured a unique fold/hole punch format reminiscent of a three-ring binder and speaks to Prada’s function first designs.
‘In these four years, Prada was so dominant, the very definition of designer fashion,’ says IDEA’s co-founder David Owen. ‘The cut and the materials completely defined the time. Without actually being futuristic or space age, Prada and Prada Sport somehow made the present so good that no one thought the future would ever get any better. Norbert’s Campaigns are built on that — they are hyperreal but still real. And, arguably our own world is further away from the image he created’.
The cult London-based publisher is making its way through the Prada timeline having previously published Prada 96-98, covering the Glen Luchford years. With that book proving to be wildly successful with two sold-out editions, we wouldn’t be surprised if Schoerner’s met the same fate.
Discover Prada Archive: 1998-2002 at ideanow.online.