The Prada Story

Once upon a time there was an Italian luxury goods house that season after season could do no wrong. Read the rest of the story for yourself in Prada's new comprehensive 708 page monograph which documents the company's experimental, often ground-breaking work in fashion, architecture, film and art over the last three decades.

The book begins with a prelude tracing the company's distinct history and is organized roughly in two halves; Inside and Outside. The Inside chapters feature a photo-essay by renowned photographer, and regular collaborator Brigitte Lacombe. It also includes video stills taken from short films documenting the intricate craftsmanship of the factory, images of the fashion show environments, an overview of all the collections designed by Miuccia Prada, thumbnail pictures of 3,885 different "looks", collages of the most influential shoe and bags, and photographs of the final product on the runway.

The Outside half looks at Prada beyond the walls: the public phenomena that includes architecture, events, parties, exhibitions, films and even an America's Cup challenge. The public section includes detailed accounts of the celebrated "epicenter" store designs in New York and Los Angeles by Rem Koolhaas/OMA and in Tokyo by architects Herzog & de Meuron, a film collaboration with director Ridley Scott, an animated short film project "Trembled Blossoms,"  Koolhaas's radical "Prada Transformer" pavilion in Seoul, and costume design for a Japanese manga heroine. Additional chapters focus on Prada found on the street and on celebrities photographed on the red carpet, and the almost fanatic devotion of those who love the brand as exhibited in blogs and in descriptions written for eBay.

As advertising is often the form that mediates between a brand and its public, a special section devoted to Prada's campaigns falls between Inside and Outside. The chapter highlights all of Prada's ad campaigns since 1987 and features the work of world’s leading photographers and some of the most distinct personalities.

The book will be available to the public at Prada stores worldwide as well as on prada.com and selected bookshops. This is one book that will definitely be on TheChicGeek's Christmas list.

£89.50

www.prada.com