PRADA SS26: Fashion as storytelling.
Prada SS26: (photos courtesy of Prada)
Prada’s Spring/Summer 2026 menswear show took place at the Deposito of Fondazione Prada during Milan Fashion Week. The collection, titled “A Change of Tone,” introduced a new attitude—moving away from traditional fashion rules and ideas of power. Instead, it focused on freedom and ease, inspired by: the land, air, sun, and nature. The designs felt spontaneous and emotional, like memories of a lover’s lake or the last swim of summer.
At the heart of the collection lies limitless elemental composition—garments shaped by nature’s vocabulary: fabric that drapes like air, textures that echo sand or sunlight, tones drawn from water and wind.
The overall tone suggests instinct, movement, and dreamlike exploration—a vision rooted in nature and redefined expression. Silhouettes were relaxed, gestures spontaneous. It offered a vision of menswear unanchored by rigid codes.
Prada SS26: look 32 (photos courtesy of Prada)
The runway was layered with flower-shaped rugs. The show opened with an immersive natural soundtrack - birds, wind, airplanes overhead, waves crashing against rock - enveloping the audience in a sensorial soundscape. This choice of sound reinforces the idea of elementary and imaginary compositions, as if the runway were taking place in between reality and dreams. The music, in this context, was not just a soundtrack: it was part of the sensorial narrative.
Take, for example, a standout ensemble that embodied this ethos.
One of the boldest looks in the show was a pair of minimalist bloomers—shorts that looked almost like diapers. They were strange, but that was the point. Raf Simons said they were thinking about “the innocence of children.”
These pieces weren’t about style in the usual sense. They challenged the idea that men’s fashion needs to be sharp or powerful to make an impact.
Prada SS26: looks 1, 37 (photos courtesy of Prada)
This outfit embodies their idea of “dismantling power” and embracing a “free ease.” There’s a softening of structure and a letting-go of formality—it’s like the clothes are moving with the elements: land, air, and sun.
The styling speaks to non-conformist harmony—deliberately unconventional, but deeply intuitive. It’s not dressing for attention; it’s dressing for feeling.
Prada SS26: look 24 (photos courtesy of Prada)
This look leans right into the poetic spirit of Prada’s Spring/Summer 2026 theme—disruption with grace. The brown leather jacket brings a sense of groundedness, almost like land. It’s an unexpected pairing—structured on top, breezy below—that embodies the idea of “non-conformist harmonies.”
The green woven headpiece? That’s where surrealism sings. It feels like a nod to “imaginary places”—part sculptural, part organic. Together, the outfit plays with opposites: grounded yet airy, classic yet instinctual.
Prada SS26: look 2 (photos courtesy of Prada)
The light brown leather jacket and shirt combo also channels land and grounding, while the electric yellow pants bring an almost solar intensity, echoing the theme of sun and impulse. And those black shoes? A subtle anchor in an otherwise vivid flow.
There’s no aggression here. Just fluidity, harmony, and instinct.
Prada SS26: look 55 (photos courtesy of Prada)
“A Change of Tone” lives up to its name. It’s less a shift in style than a shift in sensation. In a world increasingly rigid, Prada offered release: a breath of air, a splash of sun, a feeling of ease. It was a reminder that fashion, at its most resonant, doesn’t tell us what to be—it invites us to feel.
A-list front Row included: Kai, Harris Dickinson, Frank Dillane, Ruiz Ahmed, Benito Skinner, Mahmood, Sana, Tosin Cole, TransfOrm Project.
Prada SS26: (photos courtesy of Prada)
