AMO designs hyper-surreal prada showspace FW18 mens fashion show

in a venue piled with pallets of boxes in plywood and foil, AMO — OMA’s research and design studio — completes the setting for the prada mens fall winter 2018 spring/summer presentation. adjoining its fondazione on the south-eastern outskirts of milan, the ‘prada warehouse’ made use of its’ depositories, in accordance with the brand’s reflection on its’ industrial identity. meanwhile, for the first time, prada invited four renowned creatives to each work on an item of clothing.

all images courtesy of prada unless otherwise stated

entering through plastic curtains, the colourfully lit space was transformed into an oneiric and surreal archive, organized into sectors each corresponding to a specific theme. throughout hyper prada graphics were in a plenty, narrating the brand’s history of much loved moments. prints like like the bananas from 2011 were referenced through large stamps upon cargo load, meanwhile handbag stencils writing ‘this way up’ teased their contents. elsewhere, black roosters or bugs, crowns and retro takes on the brand name or the word adarp, prada spelled backwards, offered consumable instagram moments.

image © designboom

‘boxes, crates and all the other objects that colonize the warehouse are marked with a series of ambiguous symbols that express the multiplicity of the prada identity‘, explains prada. ‘classical themes like idealized accessories, gizmos, mascots and recurring motifs of the collections are transformed into emblems that hint at the content of the crates.‘

image © designboom

the industrial narrative echoed the dedicatory moment to a material iconic of prada’s early 90s period. muiccia prada appeared fixed on black nylon, and to mark its’ celebration for the first time ever, invited an impressive list of co-designers – ronan & erwan bouroullec, konstantin grcic, herzog & de meuron and rem koolhaas. the iconic material inspiring the brief for the prada invites initiative takes off from the brand’s line of bags, purses and backpacks in black, industrial quality ‘pocone’ nylon, presented in 1984, a material formerly used only popularly in packaging for the luxury industry.

investigating the poetic, practical, technical and aesthetic aspect of nylon, ‘prada invites’ manifests four radically different approaches and unique designs resonating with the creative signatures of the architects and designers. koolhaas presented a backpack in reverse, an armour-like representation of a more confronting utilitarianism strapped to the front of a model, featuring a trio of chunky-zipped pockets. meanwhile, herzog & de meuron came up with a relaxed short sleeve shirt printed with a jumble of letters. called ‘language restraint’ the swiss duo provided an explanatory note, making reference to the loss of power in language and its’ decorative evolution.

konstantin grcic, ronan-bouroullec, miuccia prada, jacques herzog and pierre de meuron

fascinated by the geometry of folders for the drawings of architects, painters and students, ronan and erwin bouroullec created a large portfolio with bright blue and yellow leather detail gussets. and finally, german born designer konstantin grcic paid homage to joseph beuys’s famous fishing vest, abstracting it into a functional, multi-pocket apron.