Prada

Prada was founded in 1913 by Mario Prada, Miuccia Prada's grandfather, in Milan. Located in the prestigious Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Prada was an exclusive, stylish store selling luggage, accessories and luxury goods, in fine materials and of sophisticated workmanship. The Milan store quickly became a firm favourite with the Italian aristocracy and the most sophisticated members of the European elite. In 1919 Prada received the warrant of “Official Supplier of the Italian Royal Household”, and since then has been able to display the royal Savoy coat of arms and figure-of-eight knots alongside the company logo. Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli started working together in the late 70's, laying the foundations of the international expansion that was to come. Patrizio Bertelli broke new ground in the luxury goods sector, introducing a new business model in which he kept direct, internal control over all processes, applying uncompromised quality criteria across the entire production cycle.  Miuccia Prada's creative talent and avant-garde approach attracted the attention of the global fashion industry, while her ability to look at the world from an unconventional vantage point allowed her not only to anticipate, but quite often, to set new trends. Prada now produces men's and women's leather goods, clothing and footwear, combining contemporary, cutting-edge sophistication with one-of-a-kind, sublimely-crafted products. Prada also operates in the eyewear, fragrance and mobile phone sectors. Innovation is at the core of Prada's success, with no sector escaping the Group's avante-garde approach, distribution included. Prada was the first brand to launch a new type of store, known as “Prada Epicentres”, designed by internationally-acclaimed architects such as Rem Koolhaas, and Herzog & de Meuron, both winners of the Pritzker Prize (the Nobel for architecture). Prada casts its creative eye beyond the boundaries of fashion, to include art, architecture, cinema and culture as key reference to the brand's core values. The Prada Foundation, founded in 1993 to promote "the most radical of intellectual challenges in art and contemporary culture", organizes exhibitions and related cultural events which have earned much international acclaim. In December 2011, the Foundation acquired Ca' Corner della Regina, a prominent 17th century palace on Venice's Grand Canal, turning it into an exhibition space. The new Prada Foundation headquarters and permanent exhibition in Milan, - a 17,500 square meter, early 20th century industrial site, currently being revamped and restored by architect Rem Koolhaas - is scheduled to open in Spring 2015. Prada is also four-times sponsor of the Luna Rossa team in the 2000, 2003, 2007 and 2013 America's Cup campaigns, winning the challengers’ selection series in 2000 and reaching the final in both 2007 and 2013. Patrizio Bertelli was the first Italian ever to be inducted in the America's Cup Hall of Fame, on 29 June 2012.