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About Prada

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Mario Prada is the father of the Prada brand of fashion and accessories. He started his business in 1913 in Milan, Italy by designing and selling shoes, baggage and handbags. His original baggage was heavy and bulky, which was not well suited for traveling in airplanes of the time. Rather than redesign his baggage, he decided that he would concentrate on handbags and leather accessories. His business was not instantly successful but made him a good living, enough to support his family while growing the business. Eventually, his products took hold and he began to have some success. As Mario Prada grew older, other members of his family took significant roles in the business, which was doing quite well by the 1950s. His children ran the business and Mario took somewhat of a backseat later in his life.

Prada Handbag

Mario had a granddaughter named Miuccia, who was interested in theatre rather than the family business. She studied acting over a period of five years at the famous Teatro Piccolo, in Milan, and was a successful mime, in her own write. She also studied Politics and had aspirations of becoming a lawyer. Miuccia married at about the same time that she took control of Mario's business and her husband, Patrizio, became her business manager. This arrangement freed Miuccia up to do the company's product designing. She had no former credentials in this area but she was very creative and talented. Her fashion sense and talent were widely recognized and the Prada brand started to become very widely recognized as fashionable and of high quality. One of her most famous items was a backpack made of a nylon-like fabric. The in 1985, Miuccia unveiled the new Prada handbag, which was touted as both fashionable and very stout and practical. The handbags, though quite fashionable, were extravagantly priced and other manufacturers began to make copies extensively. This fake phenomenon brought about the fashion explosion of designer handbags.

Not only was Miucci Prada producing highly priced and fashionable handbags but her design talents were bringing tremendous fashion change to the world. Her clothing fashions were highly acclaimed and were selling like hotcakes to the wealthy and noble. The year was 1989 and her designs of bright, lacy and frilly garments were taking the fashion world by force. Since that time, Prada has become one of the most elegant, sought after and tasteful brands of designer wear and accessories in the modern world. The Prada name is globally recognized and accompanies the adjective "quality" in every way. The high quality continues to demand very exorbitant prices but the Prada clientele are not easiliy intimidated by price.

When quality and high fashion are mixed, the name that carries world-wide recognition and instant amazement and satisfaction, is Prada and it is not expected that that will change any time soon.

Prada Handbag Styles

Why are Prada handbags so very popular? What makes Prada so very desirable? Both questions can be answered with one statement: Prada prides itself on high fashion and style. Their bags are very sturdy, fashionable and highly functional. The handbags match the Prada apparel fashions and appear to be an actual part of the attire. With every fashion season, Prada releases a brand new line of purses and handbags that match their trends in style. The fashion sophisticated recognize this as a very valuable and desired characteristic of Prada. Let's take a look at some of Prada's distinctive attributes.

Prada uses high quality materials such as various leathers, including buckskin, calfskin nylon fabrics and fox trims.

The very distinctive Prada name plate if prominently displayed on the bags.
The hardware is of gold or silver on the buckles, clasps and strap hooks.
There are detachable key rings, straps and identification tags.
Many designs have antiquing or stitching that is contrasting.
The inner pockets are zippered.
The gamut of very simple to highly ornate designs are available
The colors are highly varied and neutral.

It is uncommon that the Prada handbag user is not easily distinguished from others in a crowd. The Prada style is obvious and admired by others. When one is carrying a Prada bag, you can be certain that they will be noticed and envied. The sleekness of design and the everyday practicality are what make the Prada bag so sought after, not to mention that sophistication that comes from simply owning one.

If one is unable to afford a genuine Prada handbad, as they are very expensive, there are actually licensed Prada replica bags available. Prada is one of the very few that actually allow other manufacturers to make the replicas as they are very similar to the genuine Prada bag and cost much less.

Prada's Miuccia Prada is the designer of their products and she attempts to design bags that are practical yet fashionable in that they are used for both formal settings and during everyday use. Both the handbags and the purses are valuable assets to any woman's collection. The many various and contemporary Prada products can be viewed in their online catalog at www.prada.com. Simply choose between "Woman" or "Man" and then click on "Accessories." You will be taken to the purses and handbags where you can view the current season's products and determine which one is right for you.

It is rare that any woman does not envy the other who carries a Prada handbag or purse. If you are looking for the genuine product, you should beware the clever counterfeiter who claims to be selling the real Prada product. Check out our article on how to spot a fake Prada purse or handbag.

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