In The Heart Of Multitude

Called upon by Miuccia Prada herself—four sensational muralists and two illustrators set a vibrant stage for Prada's Spring/Summer 2014 fashion presentation, In The Heart Of Multitude, at Milan's Via Fogazzaro show space. Inspired by “the political wall art from Mexican muralists such as Diego Rivera,” Mrs. Prada plucked the artists from all over the world: Mesa from Spain, El Mac from the United States, Gabriel Specter from Canada, Stinkfish from Colombia, Jeanne Detallante from France (she works in the U.S.), and Pierre Mornet from France.

The the artist's paintings extend from the set of the show to the garments in the collection, as Prada employed the group of contemporary artists to help communicate her vision of the new power woman. “I saw them as strong, visible fighters. We need to be fighters in general. There is this debate about women again, and I want to interpret it. My instrument is fashion. I use my instrument to be bold. I had this idea that if you wear clothes so exaggerated and out there, people will look, and then they will listen.” She laughed. “It’s a sort of trick.” Then the designer added, “I want to be nasty.”

The visions of the artists were cleverly integrated into the collection in various ways. The bold, cartoon-like faces of Artist Jeanne Detallante are bejewelled onto bra-implanted coats, dresses, bags, and furs. This, of course, allows fashion enthusiasts to acquire a piece of art-fashion. In application, the garment will be speaking-as-you-wear the imagery of six artists.

Brooklyn-based artist Gabriel Specter composed a telling portrait of a weeping girl who is surrounded by rainbows. The artist says he's inspired by the "overlooked elements in society, the things that most people would regularly pass by, those are the things I pick up on."

Stinkfish boasts most of his inspiration from his home city of Bogota, the place where he honed his painting skills as a youngster. Recognized internationally for his large, colorful murals, Stinkfish works from the photographs of local people that he takes on the streets and later turns into stencils. For Prada's fashion show, the artist splatted bursts of colors across the wall to create the face of a gazing woman.

Photography Courtesy of Prada