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Prada, the brand and its founder, are a force in fashion. They continue to reflect the instinct and intellect of Miuccia Prada. She and her longtime collaborator and husband, Patrizio Bertelli, still make the vast majority of decisions regarding the direction of their label.

“When I do a show, no one will tell me what to do,” says Mrs. Prada. “Once, at the beginning of my career, I tried to listen to others and it was all wrong. I have to do what I think is right, and now everybody is happy that it is like this.”

In May, Mrs. Prada, opened her OMA designed, Milan based Fondazione Prada. It’s an enormous industrial campus dedicated to contemporary art of all kinds, much of which came from Prada’s own collection. Images of it’s Wes Anderson designed bar has been shared on social networks the world over. But the foundation's goals aren’t about promoting Mrs. Prada’s label and they certainly aren’t about showing off her collection.

“I hate the idea of being a collector,” she says. “I really hate it. I’m not a collector.”

“As much as I don’t feel like a collector, I’m even less a patron. I am and want to be an active part of shaping culture, but I am patronising nothing. I hate all of that. I don’t want to be perceived like that, which is why we never sponsor exhibitions.” So what is she then? “When I started becoming friends with the artists, there was a shift. It was like sharing personal problems.”

MediaStorm partnered with WSJ. Magazine to produce short films honoring each of the awardees of the Magazine’s fifth annual Innovator Awards; hosted on Wednesday, November 4th at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. Seven trailblazing talents, all of whom are featured in the magazine’s November issue, were honored among more than 200 guests for their groundbreaking accomplishments in their respective disciplines.

Selected by WSJ. Magazine editors, the honorees were: Richard Serra (Art); Mark Parker (Brand); Thomas Heatherwick (Design); Angelina Jolie Pitt (Entertainment/Film); Miuccia Prada (Fashion); Karl Ove Knausgaard (Literature); and Stewart Butterfield (Technology).

Published: November 4th, 2015

Credits

Commissioned by
A film by
Director, Producer and Executive Producer
Editor & Producer

Recognition

Pictures of the Year International

Year: 2016

Place: First

Category: Multimedia Photographer of the Year

NPPA's Best of Photojournalism

Year: 2016

Place: Third

Category: Feature Multimedia Package

NPPA's Best of Photojournalism

Year: 2016

Place: Third

Category: Multimedia Portfolio


The Goal

The goal of this production was to make a short film about Italian fashion designer Miuccia Prada for the Wall Street Journal Magazine’s fifth annual Innovator Awards.


The Challenge

Mrs. Prada has spent decades working in the fashion industry. This year, however, she created a foundation dedicated to contemporary art, the Fondazione Prada. The challenge of the film was to acknowledge this creation, while also informing the viewer of her innovation in fashion. Because Mrs. Prada was not available for an interview, MediaStorm would also need to find someone familiar with both topics.


The Solution

The Wall Street Journal Magazine identified designer and architect Rem Koolhaas, founder of OMA and longtime collaborator with Prada. Koolhaas has worked with Mrs. Prada for over a decade, designing her runway shows and most recently, the Fondazione Prada. Koolhaas was the perfect interview to acknowledge both her establishment of the foundation, as well as what makes her special as a fashion designer.


The Results

The films were premiered at The Wall Street Journal Magazine’s fifth annual Innovator Awards on November 4, 2015 and were released online the following day.


With five global editions spanning 62 countries, WSJ. Magazine—which publishes 12 issues a year—is The Wall Street Journal's luxury-lifestyle publication dedicated to the power and passions of the Journal's readership.


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