Prada by the Sea
Review of Prada Spring 2026 Men’s Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Going coastal, embracing the elements, limitless compositions
It can’t be easy being thought of as the harbinger for the cultural zeitgeist. Carrying the weight of expectation to collectively blow our minds every season and bring forth new ideas that feel at first confusingly off-kilter before settling into our consciousness and turning into marketing – and sales – gold. Yet, following a solid set of results in April of this year, in comparison to what can only be described as a shaky start for the rest of the luxury market (net revenue and retail sales were both up by 13% for the Prada group , while some of their competitors experienced double digit declines) “a change in tone”, as it was described in todays show notes, was on the horizon for the Italian fashion house, which will undoubtedly have the market, as well as financial analysts, nervous for next seasons results if this new direction fails to resonate.
A shift away from boundary-breaking ideas, often appealing first to those early adopters, before being followed much later by the masses (although with over-amplification on social media, this timeline has been drastically reduced) previously included juxtaposing ideas around masculinity, utility, and superstition. Today it was the simple notion of escapism that broke through as the most relevant to the team in this current moment. And where better to escape to than the coast? Creating a sense of place with a soundscape of crashing waves and seagulls reverberating around the concrete interior of the Fondazione Prada show-space, boyhood memories of days or even long, hot summers spent by the beach, would have been awakened. Backstage Mrs Prada referred to core memories and the innocence of childhood inspiring the ‘bloomer-style’ short shorts – one of the few truly Prada-coded looks within the collection. The utilitarian practicality of the multi-pocketed shirts and multi-functional backpacks all spoke to this new get-up-and-go attitude, while shades of raspberry, pistachio, and lemon were callbacks to indulging in gelato on the beach. Rather than a hard sell of new ideas, the design duo have offered up a soft landing, providing a collection of effortless styles that will give the wearer “limitless elemental compositions”.
Change is always uncomfortable, but if the creative duo behind one of the few brands showing positive gains in a luxury market that has been perpetually in the red for most of 2025 tells us its time to do so, then we would do well to listen. There is also the possibility that Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, with the foresight that only comes with decades of leading from the front (even if it meant doing so alone) chose to jump i.e. shift the Prada aesthetic, before the tide of public opinion turned. As it inevitably does when everyone has a digital megaphone and an opinion. This could even mark the beginning of several seasons of calm to regroup, before a storm of creativity rolls back in.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
This for me has been the easiest collection [to design]. Everything worked very easily [and] the freedom of the mix was part of the agenda.
Miuccia Prada, Co-creative Director, Prada
THE WRAP UP
Miuccia Prada inferred post-show that this was one of the few collections that was the easiest to come together. As like the rest of the world, she revealed that she woke up each morning with a sense of shock at current events, and so this moment deserved a “change in spirit, change of thought.” There’s something in the wind according to the designer and with it the Prada team believe will come the opportunity to challenge conformity and explore limitlessness.
