Prada << prah dah >> is the name of a family and of the Italian fashion company founded and owned by that family. The company designs and sells clothing and shoes , but it is especially known for its handbags.
Mario Prada, with his brother Martino, founded the company in Milan , Italy, in 1913. Prada originally sold luggage, shoes, and handbags. Its clothes incorporate classic Italian elegance through simple lines, luxury fabrics, and sophisticated design. The company’s products were sold internationally, but the label did not achieve celebrity status until Mario’s youngest granddaughter, Miuccia << mee yoo cha >> Prada, took over the company in the late 1970’s. Her future husband, Patrizio Bertelli, became the company’s business manager. Miuccia focused on designing an updated product line.
Miuccia Prada’s earliest fashion designs—black nylon backpacks and totes—came out in 1979. These bags were lightweight, waterproof, and functional. Her first major success as a designer, however, was in 1985. In that year, she debuted what has become the classic Prada handbag—a large, two-handled, black nylon tote. In 1989, the Prada label showed its first ready-to-wear collection of women’s clothing and gained widespread popularity. Prada came out with a new, more experimental, and lower-priced fashion label, Miu Miu, in 1993. That same year, Prada introduced a menswear line.
