Steven Meisel and Prada go way back, linking up since the early ‘90s to collaborate on hundreds of campaigns. But why does the duo just work?
NY-born Steven Meisel first broke onto the scene in the late ‘70s, bringing his candid photography style to shooting for the likes of Interview Mag and Vogue Italia. It wasn’t until the ‘90s that Meisel first linked up with Prada - the collab that would shape his career.
Fashion mfers will already know that Steven Meisel’s style isn’t what we were typically seeing from high fashion campaigns in the ‘90s. Other campaigns were selling an aesthetic, so they tended to be polished and aspirational, whilst Meisel’s photography had a gritty edge to it. He blended the glamour of high fashion with the imperfection of the real world.
Meisel’s work might’ve been avant garde and beautiful, but his style is also famously candid. It’s elevated but real, in a way that’s kind of addictive, and that’s what he brings to Prada’s campaigns. Between 2004 to 2016, Prada linked up with Meisel to shoot all of its campaigns, and even since then he’s still been a recurring collaborator.
It’s not hard to see why the duo just work: Meisel’s candid style juxtaposes with Prada’s high fashion designs in a way that makes them shine by comparison. Plus, the worldbuilding of Meisel’s shoots keeps us looking for longer. When you link this with Miuccia Prada’s own super radical approach to design, the duo are unstoppable.
That’s because Miuccia Prada doesn’t design with the zeitgeist in mind - she famously subverts trends in the same way that Meisel’s photography does. Whilst Prada’s designs can be glamorous, they’re also often as gritty and avant garde as a Meisel shoot. That’s why, when the duo link up, their campaigns are always GOATed.
Featured image via Prada©
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