Prada FW25 Follows Your Instincts
At Fondazione Prada on Sunday, a towering pipe structure became the breeding ground for Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons’ newest menswear manifesto: a commentary on the human element behind getting dressed.
Earlier this weekend, Prada invited guests to its Fall/Winter 2025 menswear show with a small white box containing a silver metal pipe, hinting that the forthcoming collection would, in some way, have an industrial feel. On Sunday at Fondazione Prada, the cryptic solicitation made sense: beyond massive plastic curtains lay a three-story metal playhouse, much like the one hyper-pop stans raved about on Troye Sivan (in attendance!) and Charli XCX’s SWEAT Tour last year. But in lieu of the bratty dance party, the set was constructed for some of Milan’s most-anticipated menswear minds: Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons.
The towering structure was lined with a regal carpet designed by Catherine Martin, a visible contrast to the otherwise potentially debaucherous scene. Blue, red and yellow lights altered the set before showgoers’ eyes with filmic intentions. In simple terms, Prada’s Fall/Winter 2025 runway was one half chaotic Berlin nightclub and another half chic 20th-century ballroom. “An expression of instinct,” the two designers called it.
This season, the Prada men’s visionaries said they explored “human nature” and “basic instincts” as tools for fundamental human creativity. “Unlearned reactions, automatic responses. Primitive urges.” On that note, the steel edifice’s fine halls and thin corridors were meant to recall the intimacy of a disco—a place that satisfies the instinctual human desire to come together.
In mode, Prada’s modern man was shaped by romance, and just like the runway on which the show’s 56 looks walked, his wardrobe was riddled with contradictory combinations. Big overcoats with long-haired stoles were left open to reveal bare chests. Flirtatious small tops with cottage-like patterns met formal black loafers. Bright purple trousers were paired with a plaid trench. Bomber jackets layered over cowhide fur shirts. Fluffy trapper hats with happy-go-lucky prints were styled with otherwise pared-back sweaters and dress pants. Innocent floral broaches adorned serious blazers, and Western boots turned up under tight-fitting slacks.
Overall, the collection highlighted the human element behind getting ready—the mismatched closet experimentation, the tardy outfits, the daring risks, the unpredictable outcomes when life just happens—in a bid against artificial intelligence, Prada explained backstage.
Judging by the room’s roaring applause and the pipe structure’s subtle wobbles as the show concluded, Fondazione Prada might as well have become the best new club in Milan.
See Prada’s Fall/Winter 2025 menswear collection in the gallery above, and stay tuned to Hypebeast for more Milan Fashion Week coverage.
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