From Ugly Chic to Pradaness, Prada has long challenged and manipulated bourgeois aesthetics. Seen through the lens of fashion, each collection reads like a sartorial judgment—a verdict on how to wear and interpret the present moment. The Spring/Summer 2025 collection serves as the latest annotation of this philosophy.
The Game
For Spring/Summer 2025, Prada has titled its collection “Infinite Now.” Unlike the gentler, more artistic themes of previous seasons, this collection merges the conservative styling of the 1960s with a futuristic, bold aesthetic.
With over 40 unique looks, Prada presents an extensive range of sophisticated styling for the modern woman, each outfit evoking the presence of a CEO, scientist, headmistress, student leader, spy, or even a warrior from the future. These models are compelling and powerful, embodying vibrant roles with protagonist energy.
The collection features signature items like knitwear, coats, pointed-toe shoes, and tailored long-sleeve shirts borrowed from the menswear runway, alongside quirky pleated hems, collars, and figure-defining knit pants. Accessories add a futuristic twist with abstract-shaped sunglasses, eccentric hats, and metallic belts connected directly to the waistband of skirts and trousers—a nod to the faux belts seen in menswear.
The runway displayed an aesthetic of “chaotic nostalgia.” In a unique blend, nostalgia and chaos intertwine, manifesting as a game of balance. The symbolic data stream flooding the show’s space (perhaps a representation of neural networks) suggests a reflection on the overwhelming visual and mental overload we experience today.
As the press release underscores, “We live in an age of information saturation, submerged in a relentless stream of content. The vast vista of the internet, though seemingly infinite, is algorithmically shaped—its boundaries determined by finite commands attempting to impose logic on a fundamentally illogical world.”
Here, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons seem to juxtapose the logic of algorithms with the unpredictable randomness of human thought and vision—a recurring theme in their narrative post-pandemic. In this new narrative, the collection’s individuality and unique styling emphasize the tension between the individual and algorithmic structures.
Complexity
In a way, the runway narrative itself is an algorithm—a creativity-driven one. Unlike the cold calculation of technology-driven algorithms, a creativity-driven algorithm carries warmth and depth, something visible upon closer inspection of each look.
Take, for example, the bow, a staple in Prada’s shows. In Spring/Summer 2025, the bow reappears at the neckline and waist, symbolizing feminine charm. Each collection over the years has used this motif differently: Fall/Winter 2024 saw a romantic spread of bows, Spring/Summer 2020 introduced simple ones, and earlier seasons played with school-inspired, ethereal, and even sensual interpretations.
Another example is the eyelet skirt, a revival from the 1999 Spring/Summer line. Its design echoes 1960s space-age trends, the anti-fashion wave of the 1990s, millennial Y2K anxieties, and today’s geopolitical space races. The eyelets suggest portals, black holes, glitches, or scars—maybe even a reflection of humanity’s insatiable desire. Could these designs reflect the designer’s empathy for a world grappling with global crises?
Beyond mere decoration, the eyelets suggest both a desire to escape and a curiosity to peer beyond. For insight into what Prada’s women might be hiding from or spying on, we might look to the menswear show of the same season.
The minimalist white rooms of the men’s Spring/Summer 2025 show did not reappear in the women’s show. The men’s theme of “Proximity,” with its faux belts, blended shirts and sweaters, and distorted collars, all invite close-up examination, drawing on “dream-core” aesthetics. Here, the narrative seems to call for a departure from digital isolation, encouraging a return to genuine human closeness.
Miuccia and Raf’s menswear collection appeals for distance from algorithms, while the white corridors symbolize pathways away from it. Without these corridors in the women’s show, the designs—playful, emotional, and multi-layered—invite viewers to deconstruct the algorithmic narrative.
Selfhood
Fashion has evolved into a narrative-driven, rather than garment-focused, medium. A narrative’s success now hinges on engagement, akin to cinema or gaming. Today, with everyone armed with a smartphone, the archetypal hero is replaced by the “everyday hero” on reality TV screens. Here, engagement and entertainment value measure influence, leading to a lowering of cultural and artistic standards. Still, this shift aligns with the algorithmic truth—when fans and followers feel emotionally invested, the reward is traffic.
Fashion brands, the traditional “heroes,” now compete for engagement. To match the public’s enthusiasm, runway shows become channels to engage fans and followers, transforming into a closed feedback loop of pre-show teasers, celebrity guests, and post-show discussions.
Last year’s rise of the “quiet luxury” trend reflects this perfectly. While the wealthy and everyday people seek different things in quiet luxury, brands saw an opportunity to leverage the trend’s global appeal. When you can’t beat the algorithm, join it.
How has Prada tackled this? Since Miuccia and Raf joined forces, they’ve rarely granted interviews, making each collection a primary medium for their public dialogue. More looks, more clues, and a broader feedback loop—each collection invites viewers to decode the story.
As the brand states, “A series of parallel realities celebrate individuality here. Each look is unique, reflecting today’s celebration of personal expression.” For the individual, this moment sounds like true liberation—freedom, physically and psychologically. Yet, as individuals, we are both the subject and object of perception, with no control over others’ interpretations.
Through the runway, Miuccia and Raf communicate their creative vision, whether understood or not. They ingeniously deconstruct the algorithm, while simultaneously participating in it. Indeed, on social media, complaints about Prada often outshine praise, proving that, ironically, criticism is the real currency of engagement.
Whether praised or criticized, engagement is engagement, completing the loop.
Ultimately, regardless of traffic or algorithmic influence, everything circles back to the clothes themselves. Fashion remains the narrative’s foundation.
If we examine the Spring/Summer 2025 men’s and women’s shows together, the narrative arc reveals itself: “I” emerge from the white room, yet remain embedded within the algorithm, continuously seeking liberation. As Prada’s press release explains, “Infinite choices generate infinite possibilities. Opportunities represent the embodiment of free will, attainable only through human intervention, innovation, and choice—a path that defies replication.”
Thus, rather than a universal judgment on attire, the collection invites us to consider it as a judgment of self.