A campaign as dialogue – Prada in conversation. The Prada Autumn/Winter 2024 advertising campaign evokes one of the fundamental principles from which its creative force arises, namely conversation and the exchange of ideas. Always at the center of the brand’s identity, pure human interaction is the core on which its concept of fashion is based and the basis of the collaboration between Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons. Each Prada collection is in essence a dialogue, a game of contrasting opinions and perspectives that unfolds within each garment and in the relationship between the clothes and the public. Fashion is an exchange, this is the ideology that animates Prada’s entire visual imagery and is the mirror of contemporaneity, of the here and now.
In this gallery of stolen moments, Willy Vanderperre captures a series of intimate and spontaneous interactions between the international actors of the cast. Harris Dickinson, Damson Idris, Yili Ma, Hunter Schafer and Letitia Wright communicate and compare notes, in person or by telephone, giving life to images that seem to encompass different eras of cinematography, from narrative cinema to truthful documentary. The script was born from the pen of American director, artist and writer Miranda July, who has explored the idea of dialogue and the bonds that are created between people through language several times in her career.
The campaign borders on reality, not only observing but stimulating dialogue as action: a series of conversation cards, written by Miranda July, propose topics to discuss between friends. In the accompanying videos, directed by Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Garret Bradley, July herself is an unseen protagonist, whose only presence is the voice telling bits of fictional stories on the other end of the line. In photos and videos, dialogues have the seductive charm of unattainability: looking at them, grasping only fragments, opens up the possibility of inventing the missing parts.
The imagery of the campaign is direct and informal, simple and authentic: it reflects the most innate gestures and impulses of human beings, such as the need to relate, to express opinions, to listen and learn. Talking to each other is a collective activity. The individual protagonists are transformed into a group, united by the exchange of ideas, by mutual harmonies – individuality becomes plurality. Being together, communicating means creating.
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