The Story of Prada

You must have seen the movie the devil wears Prada. But not all people wear Prada is devil.

Miuccia, Miuccia, Miuccia (or "Mrs. Prada," as she's sometimes called with affectionate respect): The name is always on everyone's lips. It's not a stretch to say that retailers and editors collectively hold their breath each season in anticipation of what the industry's favorite contrarian will send down the runway. Will it be inspired by fairies? Dowdy housewives? Or something more abstract, like "beauty in the face of war"? Will it bear ideas that reverberate throughout the entire industry?

Miuccia is the granddaughter of Mario Prada, who founded a leather-goods company in Milan in 1913. She inherited the family business in 1978 but was a rather unlikely successor: Prada was, of all things, a mime with a doctorate in political science and no formal design training. All she had to offer was a passion for the clothes in her closet—which included the Yves Saint Laurent she wore to pass out Communist party leaflets in the seventies.

But in 1985, Prada designed a black nylon handbag that became a sensation; the world took notice. A ready-to-wear collection followed in 1989, and since then, she along with her husband and business partner, Patrizio Bertelli, have built the company into a $2 billion empire.

Prada’s design is fantastic, but not all ca nafford such fantastic things. Most people will choose replica Prada handbags. Cheap and high quality!