After Prada's FW 21 presentation at Milan Fashion Week, it seems rather apparent that Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons may just be in a perfect marriage. Optimism, a play in polarity, gender fluidity, luxury and practicality were all explored in their womenswear presentation, one that was both femme and masc, bold and soft, striking but simple.

 

 

 

 

An obvious call to action of the rapidly changing landscape and existential crises of our fashion industry, the careful reflection and conceptualisation that went behind this season by the two designers was quite evident in both their execution and their pieces.

Bestowing a collection that was deeply considered, ruminating the concept of fashion in a time where social encounters are bereft and the nation scarcely need to leave the house, Prada reinterprets and challenges the true meaning of comfort and luxury. Perhaps an honourable return and tribute to the signature Prada aesthetic - we saw colour blocking, eclectic prints, a modern twist to tradition and minimal but bold silhouettes.

 

 

 

 

Jacquard knits, double sided wraps with glimmering paillettes, pinstripe two piece suits and beautifully sculpted armour for outwear, the collection took a bow to the art of dressing up that now feels so nostalgic. In a time that feels almost claustrophobic, the collection continued to break down the walls of confinement, embracing the reality and reexamining freedom through fashion.

 

 

 

 

In continuing the exploration in the themes of polarity and expression, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons continued their response, breaking down the boundaries of gender and challenging pre-existing constructs of binary dressing. Androgynous, strong, clean but ornate, the collection blurred the lines of the masculine and feminine rendering an expansive season that allowed the polarities of human nature and opposing energies in sexuality to exist in the same space where the body was finally free to just be.

View the full collection and presentation on Prada.com