Hot seat

Of late, Prada has been giving its fashion show guests preview glimpses of new buildings in its magnificent Rem Koolhaas-designed Fondazione Prada. Take its A/W 2018 women’s show, for example, which was held over the floors of the museum’s yet-to-open Torre building, with a breathtaking view of the Milanese skyline. Now, for S/S 2019, Prada has transported guests once more to the Fondazione (instead of its regular HQ show area) to its newly-designed Deposito performance space.

With a pit, balcony and terrace, the AMO-concerted design of the Deposito evoked the layout of a traditional theatre, and, for the show, guests were seated among its different sections. The acid green terrace was a nod to one of Prada’s signature shades, and worked to highlight the abundance of colour in the brand’s S/S 2019 offering.

Below the terrace, the ‘Parterre’ section of the Deposito was sectioned into a grid of squares, each labelled according to seat number. For Prada’s S/S 2019 men’s show, the label recommissioned a Verner Panton-designed inflatable stool from the 60s, which never made it into production. The cubic creation was one of the first inflatable furniture designs. These stools, produced by Verpan in recycled plastic, were also used as squishy seating during the women’s show, and when illuminated by bright lights, made attendees appear as if they were floating on air.