Miuccia Prada's Endless Influence: Prada SS19 and Sandy Liang

 I adore Miuccia Prada, just as I adore Sandy Liang. I also think that it is very hard to make something genuinely individual these days, whether it be in fashion, art, or literature, it's likely someone has already done it before you. However, I think the two icons, the tastemakers of our time (if you will) - Miuccia Prada and Rei Kawakubo - infiltrate their way into our minds and our lives without us really noticing. Thus, I have discerned a certain Prada sensibility peeking through Sandy Liang's wok, which perhaps explains why I personally have such an affinity to it. 

Prada SS19 is one of the most life-changing and style-altering collections I have encountered, and it continues to permeate my wardrobe today. I have noticed a lot of Prada-esque nods within Sandy's work, and I actually encountered a Twitter thread discussing the similarities between Prada SS99 and Sandy's SS23 collection, which you can read here, if you're interested. 

This is not to call Sandy out at all. I admire her and her vision, and like I said, the big designers are there to inspire and make changes within the industry. Miuccia herself said in a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar: 

"Also, [creating trends] is the interesting thing about it; otherwise, you just do clothes. But if you believe in fashion and eventually create trends, it means that what you are doing makes sense to people. It means you are connected to people." 

Miuccia has always been acutely aware of the power she has in her job and does not shy away from the societal waves she creates. In this interview she was largely talking about the viral Miu Miu mini skirt looks from SS22 and the knock-offs that followed it, but her effect across all of fashion for the past 30 years is screamingly obvious. I could talk about Prada and the effects it has had on the fashion industry for hours (perhaps I should...) but for now, I want to focus on SS19 and how it has affected Sandy's brand. 

While Sandy Liang is not following a particular trend Prada has created, she has certainly let it permeate her personal style and thus the clothing she creates for her brand. Here are some similarities I have noticed: 

                   Sandy Liang - from various collections.       Prada SS19 - via Vogue Runway.

You can see here a similar colour palette, with Sandy employing the use of baby pink and brown satins, grey knits, cut-outs around the neck and stomach area, and a leather pinafore dress. Not to mention the knee-high sheer socks, which were literally life-changing when it came to my wardrobe too! In some ways, I think we can credit Prada with bringing the colour brown into the contemporary high fashion world. It was always an 'ugly' colour, but made beautiful with Prada's FW96 collection, dubbed 'Ugly Chic.' But that is opening a whole other can of worms. 

As I said, I am in no way claiming Sandy Liang has copied Prada. But I am very interested in how Prada and her vision have affected the fashion industry as a whole, thus infiltrating the brains of a new and younger generation of designers. 

I've written before about how the need for individuality and originality is a rather modern concept, with old designers and authors encouraging others to take direct inspiration from their work. As Prada said herself, that meant their work was understood by the general public. I think Prada and Kawakubo are the perfect examples of complete innovators, but their work inspires others to create their own visions, perhaps incidentally, which I think is the case with this Sandy Liang and Prada comparison.