Miuccia

"Miuccia and Bertelli have always been portrayed as the yin and yang: the brilliant creative, a refined intellectual lent to the creation of luxury and fashion, who meets the gruff industrialist with an exceptional intuition akin to the true animal spirit of capitalism. I will discover that this is an oversimplification of the complexity of a couple where creativity and business blend, roles change and subvert depending on the moment. That Bertelli has an irascible character is beyond question, capable also of temper tantrums and acts befitting a patriarchal leader of the last century, such as when he smashed the headlights of an employee's car who had parked in the wrong spot with a hammer. But he is also a creative who sketches designs, and Miuccia has a knack for business: among the two there is an elective affinity – I am told by some of their closest collaborators – which also thrives on lively discussions, going beyond the tensions of a couple's relationship marked by inevitable separations and embraces, always present in the decisions that matter."

""It struck me from the first moment: it was so exciting because it brought something completely new to the runway, really strong but at the same time simple," designer Marc Jacobs tells me. "The materials were perfect, the proportions were perfect, the shapes simple but very seductive," he adds, after confessing his boundless admiration for Miuccia."

"Miuccia's production diversifies thanks to the use of original materials and unexpected combinations. By elevating a nylon backpack to a cult object, she makes her first indelible mark. And then she goes further: from bags to shoes and clothes, the step is short, especially if you have beside you a fiery and brilliant entrepreneurial partner, with whom she discusses everything, continuously."

"Prada and, especially, Miu Miu – born in 1993 to satisfy Miuccia's rebellious soul – are the most sought after in the first quarter of 2024 by consumers all over the world, the "hottest brands" of the Lyst index, a global fashion search engine. These are two brands that will withstand during the first months of the luxury crisis induced by the collapse of purchases in China. What's so special about them? Is there a substantial difference from other luxury brands? Is there any truth to it, or am I facing yet another marketing hoax?"

"The truth is that Miuccia is different, light years ahead of many other fashionable designers, say her closest collaborators, who have built an almost symbiotic relationship with the Lady, jealously guarding her privacy and sharing her ideas."

"Prada wants to believe in its own future and is working to transform a company shaped around Miuccia and Bertelli into a group capable of remaining independent with its brands, Church’s and Car Shoe, in addition to Prada and Miu Miu, as well as the Marchesi patisserie. The time I met him, to my question whether he wanted to sell, Bertelli, interviewed for Bloomberg, replied indignantly: "I have never sold anything! I still have the bicycle that my uncle left me." That day, in 2021, demonstrating how much he thought about succession, Bertelli candidly admitted that his eldest son Lorenzo would take over the reins of the Group."

""I don't like the idea of escaping from the world. Lightening the gloom of the times, yes, but I want to live in the present," explains Miuccia surrounded by a jungle of journalists, curious people, fashionistas, and clients in the hangar of her Foundation."

"Miuccia is one of the three richest women in Italy. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the Lady and Bertelli have a personal fortune of about 7 billion dollars each, built in less than fifty years, with an exponential acceleration after the listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2011."

"For a moment she crosses paths with her son Lorenzo, the designated heir from a stock perspective as well. Between them, there is real complicity and affection; they exchange a few comments about the show that just ended, she quickly caresses his face, and then they are lost in the wave of people following Miuccia to get a moment of her attention. The Lady is extremely devoted to her children, she is proud of them, listens to them carefully, wonders what is right for their future, how to act as a grandmother: she recently has a granddaughter by Lorenzo, as she mentioned in her latest interviews. Finally, a woman in the family."

""The dialogue," as Miuccia says in Pradasphere, the volume derived from the exhibition which represented the timeline of the Prada world, "creates authenticity." The lady believes in confrontation, whether it's about fashion, business, or art and their Foundation."

"While Arturo Toscanini returns to La Scala with a concert that attests to the desire to start again, the collapsed walls on the monumental entrance arches of Mengoni's opera are being rebuilt. Underneath, Mario and Martino try to restart with a store that they try to adapt to new needs: luxury, exotic leathers, and fine silverware are not the priority, functional suitcases and "useful" objects are needed, a word that will become dear to their niece, Miuccia."

""The only thing I'm interested in are people's stories, and everything that can happen in their lives. The good moments, the bad ones, the silly ones, the intellectual ones, and even the superficial ones," says Miuccia to Repubblica."

"Upon the founder's death, it was the daughters Luisa, Miuccia's mother, and Nanda, the aunt who would formally adopt the three grandchildren to allow them to pass on the Prada surname, who took over the store. Father Gino was never among those involved in the business."