Prada has a long-standing tradition of collaborating with renowned personalities. Continuing this trend, Prada has now enlisted the assistance of yet another Hollywood luminary, Scarlett Johansson. As the ambassador for the brand's reimagined Galleria bag, the actress stars in a series of captivating visuals for the campaign, masterminded and directed by the Venezuelan-American artist, Alex Da Corte.
Harnessing a century's worth of technical expertise, the bag is meticulously crafted from 83 separate components, each assembled with care and steeped in Prada's storied heritage. The gracefully curved top handle pays homage to the company's designs from the 1940s, and the bag is adorned in the distinctive Saffiano leather, a material patented by Mario Prada.
The production of Saffiano leather involves a complex hot-press process to create its signature crosshatched surface, while the leather edges are expertly smoothed and painted by hand.
Revitalized with a fresh audience in mind, the Galleria has been reimagined with vibrant bursts of color, available in a range of luxurious leathers. Under the skillful guidance of Miuccia Prada, celebrated for her daring color combinations, shades of peach harmonize with minty blue, dusty pink complements caramel, and pink is juxtaposed against orange. Colors are creatively applied in various ways: horizontal layers, vertical stripes, a captivating lime motif, and angular patterns.
Prada approached Alex Da Corte, known for his artistic prowess, during his U.S. lecture tour on "the Glass Age." Intrigued by the topic, Da Corte delved deeper.
The luxury shopping arcade, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, holds special significance for Prada's signature bag, which combines sleek design and functionality. Da Corte curated images from the past century and a half, focusing on the body and its reflections.
The vibrant color palette, drawing inspiration from Pop and Surrealism, saturates the photos, from windows and stairs to tables and mirrors, and even the revamped bag itself.
The images feature Johansson speaking the words, "Our love is reds and yellows and blues and greens, Our love is lavender and browns and golds and greys," in a short video.
Da Corte's multidisciplinary works, spanning video, performance, installation, painting, and sculpture, extend into the realm of fashion for the first time. He was influenced by Goethe's belief in the lasting impression of colorless objects.
