Miu Miu designer biography covers her history, Net worth, and family. Enjoy!
Miuccia Prada, originally named Maria Bianchi was born May 10, 1948 in Milan, Italy and is known as Italian fashion designer of the Prada fashion house. Maria is popularly renowned for implementing simple designs to achieve a classical style with modern touch.
Miu Miu is a brand from the popular Prada Group. It was first introduced by minimalist Miuccia Prada in the year 1992. She named the brand after her family’s nickname “Prada”.
Miuccia Prada was born into an affluent family of three and she happens to be the second. Her late father, Luigi(“Gino”) Bianchi, headed a company that produced putting-green mowers. Luisa, her mother, was an heiress to a then luxury-goods company named Fratelli Prada (“Prada Brothers”), of which she became the head in 1958. As a lover of politics, Maria bagged a Ph.D. in political science in 1973 from the prestigious University of Milan, where her ideologies took a jet speed towards feminism and a different ball of politics (left-wing politics).
Maria joined the Italian Communist Party, and began actively distributing flyers at demonstrations, and became a mime at the Little Theatre (“Teatro Piccolo”) after studying for about five years.
Maria joined the Prada family business in 1970, as a manager of one of its two remaining stores. In 1978 she became the head of the company which has now become a single store. In the same year, she hired an Italian businessman Patrizio Bertelli which she has met in the previous year at a trade fair where he was selling Fratelli Prada knockoffs to primarily supply her.
As the new head of the brand, she began working hard in close collaboration with Patrizio to revive the company. One of her most amazing earliest invention included fashioning a line of unlabeled handbags out of a then unorthodox fabric known as Pocono nylon which was a durable water-resistant fabric normally used to make military tents. But the idea which turned into a line in 1979 was not immediately successful.
Miu Miu designer biography: Bianchi began to expand the company all across the globe. Prada began opening more stores from 1983 and lanced their first shoe line in 1984. Being the kind of woman she is, she launched in 1985 her line of redesigned Pocono handbags (with a triangular signature logo and a gold chain strap). The triangular logo later became the brand’s trademark.
Ever since its introduction, Prada has been a force to reckon with in the fashion industry and has earned the right to be called one of the trendiest fashion labels in the world. The store has boutiques all over the world including US, China and Europe and has a long list of influencial speokesmodels and actresses like Hailee Steinfeld, Ginta Lapina, Zhous Xun, Katie Holmes, Kirsten Dunst and Lindsay Lohan.
Perhaps the record breaking sale of Pocono handbags owed it sale to the close resemblance to the more expensive leather Chanel handbags. After a while, the wear was carried by the fashion elite, including fashion model and actress Jerry Hall.
In her bid to retain the surname of Prada officially, she had her mother’s unmarried sister adopt her in the late 1980s (smart and cunning) and thereafter legally changed her name. The year after that, Bianchi debuted to critical acclaim her first ready-to-wear collection, which featured parkas fashioned out of nylon, presenting customers with durability without throwing away style.
She incorporated her ideals and thoughts in her designs, which spiced it up with an unexplained glamour and a redefined elegance that strongly opposed the overt sex appeal of many of her competitors; prompting a redefinition of feminism and challenging the industry cliché that only “sex sells.” Basic colours that are simple and clean were used alongside luxurious fabrics and exquisite tailoring to achieve a tasteful look that pronounced the figure while preserving modesty. Finally! Prada’s idea of casual luxury caught on at the end of the decade and the brand was quickly associated with affluent, confident and intellectual women.
The rest of Miu Miu designer biography projected her success. In the early 1990s Prada continued to spread its tentacles, launching a perfume line and other spin-off clothing lines including the more affordable Miu Miu clothing line (1992) that bears her nickname.
In 1993, she started the PradaMilanorte with Bertelli. PradaMilanorte was later renamed Prada Foundation(Fondazione Prada). The non-profit organization is dedicated to supporting various up-and-coming contemporary designers (artists and architects included). Also, Prada lanched a menswear line, and in 1995 Miu gained international recognition after beautiful Hollywood actress Uma Thurman wore one of her gowns to the Academy Award ceremony. This quickly transformed the brand into an international status symbol.
Prada and Bertelli formally merged their respective operations to form Prapar B.V in 1996. This was later renamed Prada Holding B.V.)- a holding company for the Prada group of companies, with Bertelli maintaining the role of the chief executive officer.
In 1997 Miu Miu released a line of active wear, Prada Sport, later renamed Red Line (“Linea Rossa”). In 1999, she and her husband began acquiring high-profile lists- including Jil Sander and Helmut Lang fashion houses. Plus, the couple began having sakes in fashion companies including Fendi. Thus transforming Prada into a multimillion-dollar fashion conglomerate.
In 2000, She launched a cosmetics line and received an honorary international Award from the council of Fashion Designers of America in 2004.
The company experienced sky rocket annual revenue of more than $1 billion each year in the early 2000. However, it was also faced with nearly the same amount in debt, leading Bertelli and Prada to begin settling the affairs of the company by using assets to pay its debts. In 2011 the family oversaw initial public offering in Hong Kong, which raised $2.1 billion approximately.
Miu Miu focus was on her unique female designs that seem to carry an aura of feminism and boldness wherever it reaches. Barriers between trashy and classy are ignored, resulting in a beautiful bold, sexy and chick expression with a feel good effect that’s covered in little details of humour.
The historical brand has broken itself off by moving Miu Miu’s headquarters away from Prada’s in Milan. Unlike Parada in Milan, Miu Miu has held fashion shows worldwide in London, New York, Milan and finally settling in Paris in 2005. From that time, she has drawn inspiration from the city’s magnificent sets, using them as a background to the labels experimentation.
The prada group successfully put Miu Miu into a new position of a prominent high fashion brand known for its fierce avant-garde stimulating style. With designs and clothes that showcase even the smallest of detail to beauty and high quality, the clothes and designs awaken a sense of freedom in a classic style for the luxury Italian label.
YOU CAN PIN THIS IMAGE:
MIU MIU NET WORTH OVER TIME: MIU MIU DESIGNER BIOGRAPHY
She is aged 69 with two kids and her current net worth is $3.2B and on FORBES lists:
- #729 Billionaires 2018
- #73 Power Women 2017
I love this post with it rich Italian fashion history on how the brand got started.
Absolutely! I think it is a good thing and it just might inspire strugling fashionpreneurs out there.
There’s always a hardship beyond triumph. Now i know the story of this miu miu designs. thank you.
Hey Chai,
Exactly! and every story need to be heard.
This is an interesting post thanks for sharing!
Pleasure is all mine, Nina. Hope to hear from you, again.
I Love her, her purses are amazing.
My sister is a big fan of her purses too. She could kill for one(lolz).
Very interesting! This would be a good and inspiring read for youngsters nowadays.
Thats one of the motives behind this post. Never give up- Keep pushing.
Interesting, not a fan, but this was an interesting read. Thanks
I guess,
Parda is one of my fav brand. Now I know her more than before. thank you
I ike the brand. So many years of building trust and credibility in the poublic eye finally rewarded.
Enjoyed reading about brand story related to Prada. Biographies are always fascinating.
Yes, they truly are. Who would imagine so much struggle behind a smile?
Great information on how the brand started. I dream to have a Prada handbag. Such an interesting post!
Hey Isha,
It really is affordable. Good luck!
Nice to learn about Miu Miu designer biography and get a glimpse of the journey through your post!
I’m so glad you love the biography. Do not forget to share- tweet and repost
Nice Biography about Miu Miu designer. I believe that every struggle there’s a success after 🙂
Yes and staying positive always pays afterall.
Such an informative post! I didn’t know most of the things. Thanks for sharing!
Hello Charu. Thanks for the wonderful comment.
It is so good to know the story behind this major design label Miu Miu. Very interesting
I knwo, right? So interesting, Syanti.
I didn’t know much about Parada until I read this post! Thanks for the rich history of Prada!
Hilarious. You welcome.
She lives an amazing life. Such an arduous lady.
Hello Hieu. You are def correct!
Nice to learn about the richness of Italian fashion cuture
It surely is.
Wow! Thanks for writing about her;I’m such a huge fan.
Hello Pavan,
I am glad you think this too.