Miuccia’s crowning achievement this year was the opening of the Fondazione Prada – an impressive art museum in Milan designed by architect du jour Rem Koolhaas - which, if anyone was still looking for it, served as definitive proof of her commitment to culture. But that’s not all she’s invested the Prada name (and considerable resources) in. For the more bookish brains out there, Miuccia is offering the Prada Feltrinelli Prize, an international literary contest dedicated to emerging writers, by joining forces with the independent Italian publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore. This competition started in 2013 and had over 1,300 submissions in 30 languages from which five winners were chosen: an Argentinian, an American, an Australian, a Chinese, an Italian, all of whom were awarded 5,000 Euros for their stories, which were later published in an e-book, the first edition of the Prada Journal. To commemorate the awards, the writers gave readings at the Prada Epicenter in New York, where the store was theatrically converted into a literary salon.
Echoing the designer’s unorthodox approach to fashion, Prada Journal’s literary prize looks for those able to view their surroundings in a fresh way and takes optical frames, and the lenses through which we see the world, as its running motif. It’s unsurprising then, to learn that the whole initiative is done in collaboration with eyewear brand Luxottica, whose business is built upon allowing people to see better – and they have also designed a special Prada Journal eyewear collection to coincide with the annual competition.
“Illuminations, shadows, mirages. Things are not always what they seem.” A deliberately ambiguous prompt to encourages a broad spectrum of creative expression, 2015’s theme is indicative of the journal’s search for raw talent around the world. While the storytellers may be fresh meat in the literary market, the bounties are generous – and this year, each winner is still granted a cash prize, plus inclusion in the Prada Journal digital anthology as well as an adaptation of their story into a theatre piece. Perhaps most appealing of all, they’re exposed to a panel of prestigious literary critics responsible for judging their work, and are subsequently celebrated at a soirée for an internationally-minded crowd of cultural influencers.
It’s the kind of career catalyst that Miuccia experienced when her series of black nylon backpacks and handbags became an iconic item of the 1980s – and she hasn’t looked back since. Now she’s determined to pay it forward to the next generation of creative zeitgeists – how they’ll handle it remains to be seen (no pun intended).
WHAT The Prada Feltrinelli Prize
SINCE 2013
BY Prada, the publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore and eyewear brand Luxottica
WHY In her endless search for cultural relevance, Miuccia Prada has done it again by creating an influential literary contest that looks for the most talented young writers from all over the world, stages a reading for the winners and publishes the results in the Prada Journal, not to mention producing an eyewear collection to match.
