Prada : What Went Wrong?

[jeanclaude]

This sounds like they desperately need money...

 

[tatouejeremie]

i liked their packaging when they first tried to go down the beauty route

artpartner.com

 

[bc collector]

i liked their packaging when they first tried to go down the beauty route

And that was pretty much the only thing remarkable about their beauty products at the time (I was working in a Prada store back then, nobody was trained to sell it and, as far as I can remember, nobody bought it. The experiment obviously tanked).

I don't see the scandal in choosing L'Oreal: when you do cosmetics, you need a strong partner, which for a house like Prada is either L'Oreal or Beauté Prestige (aka Shiseido), there's not much else in the market provided with the expertise and the marketing strength to push a new cosmetic line beyond the niche boundaries.

Then obvs it will all be in the hands of Prada to do something interesting and new (unlike their recent Adidas collaboration)

 

[Lola701]

Who’s responsible for their current perfume (and quite exquisite) collection?
L’Oreal completely destroyed YSL beauté when Kering chose them. From the campaigns to the actual fragrances, they have lost the chic and it’s a flanker brand now...
Prada’s perfume are quite exclusive but I wonder if they can have a real beauty line...maybe more of a skincare line.

This type of things are handled better in-house or if you have Estée Lauder or Sisheido as partners...

 

[bc collector]

Who’s responsible for their current perfume (and quite exquisite) collection?

It's Puig, and their contract was nearing the expiry date. If they want to access the skincare business, Puig is the wrong choice, as much as I loved what they do with CdG perfumes.

 

[Benn98]

This sounds like they desperately need money...

From anywhere, and by any means possible!

The beauty market has changed so drastically, perhaps even more than fashion. It is no longer necessary to seek out the biggest brand for credibility when everything will ultimately boil down to how effective the product is. And that's why I said Glossier because they're niche, their values are really good, and within a short period, they've garnered a great deal of respect. At the very least, if not Glossier, then choose someone with similar values to yours instead of some drugstore brand. That alone comes back to what JeanClaude is saying.......they desperately need money!

 

[Lola701]

It's Puig, and their contract was nearing the expiry date. If they want to access the skincare business, Puig is the wrong choice, as much as I loved what they do with CdG perfumes.

They did great with Prada...Tbh.
The partnership with L’Oreal sounds more « luxurious » I guess. I’ll buy some fragrances before there’s a change in formulas...

 

[bc collector]

And that's why I said Glossier because they're niche, their values are really good, and within a short period, they've garnered a great deal of respect

I get your point but at the same time I think it is highly delusional to think that a brand the size of Prada might want to partner with niche brands, however respected they are.

Plus, some here are missing the point that L'Oreal offers the possibility of a partnership for both the fragrance AND the beauty products (either skincare or make up). Glossier has just a single fragrance, other than that not any real expertise in the field; on the other hand, Puig is great with perfumes but they haven't extended into beauty products as such.
I frankly would have preferred Beauté Prestige at this point but then, do we really know what was really at stake?
Also I think it is the case to remind some that L'Oreal is not just mass beauty, they control Lancôme, Shu Uemura and Kiehl's, among others.

 

[Benn98]

I get your point but at the same time I think it is highly delusional to think that a brand the size of Prada might want to partner with niche brands, however respected they are.

Yes, silly me. How could I have forgotten, they've only just partnered with Adidas so why would they go for quality over quantity? No skin off my nose either way.

 

[bc collector]

Yes, silly me. How could I have forgotten, they've only just partnered with Adidas so why would they go for quality over quantity?

My problem with the Adidas collab is not even over quality, the shoes and bags may as well be perfectly made. But they're totally lazy and unremarkable, design-wise.
And with l'Oreal it will be the same: if it turns out to be bad, it will be Prada's fault for their lack of imagination, not L'Oreal's.

 

[Benn98]

My problem with the Adidas collab is not even over quality, the shoes and bags may as well be perfectly made. But they're totally lazy and unremarkable, design-wise.
And with l'Oreal it will be the same: if it turns out to be bad, it will be Prada's fault for their lack of imagination, not L'Oreal's.

I hear you!
I just think that maybe they're better off working with what they have, making that better, consolidating all their different messages, and focusing more on their foreign territories before rushing into partnerships.

Already the Adidas deal looks like it will go the same way as the Prada LG phone. Here today, gone tomorrow.

 

[bc collector]

I just think that maybe they're better off working with what they have, making that better

And that brings us back to an issue that looms large over the whole so called "luxury" industry and this thread in particular: how much can a house like Prada, known for its avant-garde appeal and idiosyncratic taste, continue its expansion without losing its raison d'être at some point. In short, creative sustainability vs capitalist rules.

But that is the point of a different thread...

 

[Lola701]

I hear you!
I just think that maybe they're better off working with what they have, making that better, consolidating all their different messages, and focusing more on their foreign territories before rushing into partnerships.

Already the Adidas deal looks like it will go the same way as the Prada LG phone. Here today, gone tomorrow.

OMG...Prada LG! I remember the time when every Italian brand felt the need to associate itself with a phone brand! There was the D&G phone with Motorola and I think Nokia did something too...

It felt very « forward » thinking at the time but it was as ridiculous as the Fiat Gucci...

 

[dodencebt]

OMG...Prada LG! I remember the time when every Italian brand felt the need to associate itself with a phone brand! There was the D&G phone with Motorola and I think Nokia did something too...

It felt very « forward » thinking at the time but it was as ridiculous as the Fiat Gucci...

Don't forget the Armani Samsung phone! There was also a Dior touchscreen phone. It was such a hideous phase.

 

[GivenchyHomme]

Don't forget the Armani Samsung phone! There was also a Dior touchscreen phone. It was such a hideous phase.

The current trend of ugly designer sneakers is one phase I simply cannot forgive. Call me crazy, but there was something fabulous about a Prada and Armani phone. Keep in mind that this was before the iPhone. Anyone remember Vertu?

 

[Lola701]

The current trend of ugly designer sneakers is one phase I simply cannot forgive. Call me crazy, but there was something fabulous about a Prada and Armani phone. Keep in mind that this was before the iPhone. Anyone remember Vertu?

I kinda like the ugly sneakers trend...At least, from Prada. They have been pioneers in terms of big sole for years...Remember the Wingtip (Best shoes ever)!

Oh, Vertu...Those overpriced, very well made but quite limited in terms of technology, phones!
A lot of people got them in Paris at one point and they even sent on to Catherine Deneuve..
The mid 00’s were truly fabulous...Even the phones were tacky and fabulous.


I had the Prada phone...It was the first one with such a big tactile screen and the saffiano back was good.

The Dior phone was so tacky! It costed more than their bags at the times...I think it was really for their New Money clientele of the time.

 

[Scouting Snapper]

Word on the Fashion Streets at Couture Shows...Raf Simons is going to Prada..Anyone care to elaborate on this "Rumor"...

 

[Cute]

It was mentioned on the Prada FW20 thread.

Also:


Edit: Looks like the Tweet was deleted. Jacob Gallagher originally posted: "Getting word that Raf Simons is going to Prada. No other details."

 

[GivenchyHomme]

Here is the tweet courtesy of Haute Le Mode



Instagram hautelemode

 

[helmutnotdead]

He failed at Dior, destroyed Calvin Klein and now Prada want him?

Such a stupid decision. They’re going to get what they deserve.

I’ve heard that he might be doing something at Miu Miu...