Miuccia Prada

Early life and education Born Maria Bianchi Her biological parents were Luigi Bianchi and Luisa Prada. She has two older siblings, Albert and Marina. In 1978, she subsequently obtained a PhD in political science from the same university.

Career Early beginnings Prada trained at the Teatro Piccolo to become a mime artist and performed for five years. She was a member of the Italian Communist Party and was involved in the women's rights movement during the seventies in Milan.

Career at Prada By the mid-Seventies, Prada entered into her family's business of manufacturing luxury leather bags, a company established by her grandfather in 1913. She initially oversaw the design of accessories. In 1995, she launched her first menswear line. The Miu Miu line was introduced in 1992 as a less expensive womenswear line inspired by her personal wardrobe. She named it after her own nickname, Miu Miu.

In 1994, Prada showed her collections in both New York and London Fashion Weeks. She had already been exhibiting at Milan Fashion Week. Bertelli, Prada's husband, is responsible for the commercial side of products and Prada's retail strategy. The design house has grown into a conglomerate that includes labels such as Helmut Lang, Jil Sander, and Azzedine Alaïa. The company has expanded into leather goods, shoes, fragrances, and apparel for both men and women.

As of 2014, Prada is the co-CEO of Prada, together with her husband.

In 2020, Prada presented her final collection as the brand's sole creative director; because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was unveiled in a sequence of short films directed by artists including Martine Syms and Juergen Teller. She has since been sharing that responsibility with Raf Simons.

Business philosophy Prada deliberately avoids merging high art with fashion: "Art is for expressing ideas and for expressing a vision. My job is to sell." 1995, 1996, 1998 VH1 Fashion Award for Womenswear Designer of the Year 2005 Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People 2006 Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, awarded by the French Ministry of Culture 2014 75th most powerful woman, selected by Forbes 2015 Knight of the Grand Cross, Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 2018 Outstanding Achievement Award, given by the British Fashion Council 2021 John B. Fairchild Honor for Lifetime Achievement by WWD magazine

Exhibitions Along with designer Elsa Schiaparelli, Prada was the subject of the 2012 exhibition, "Impossible Conversations" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Controversy In early 2014, Prada and Patrizio Bertelli were put under investigation as part of a tax avoidance probe by Milan prosecutors. By 2016, both paid more than 400 million euros ($429 million) to settle their tax positions.

Personal life Prada is married to Patrizio Bertelli, a businessman. Their two sons were born in 1988 and 1990, the elder being rally driver Lorenzo Bertelli. The couple lives in the apartment where she was born.

Prada is a collector of contemporary art and owns several artworks by Young British Artists.

Honour Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (21 December 2015)