A fashion show for the Milano Fashion Week presented a scenography dedicated to the workplace and the contrast with the natural world.
Amo’s Setup for the Prada Men’s Fashion Show
Amo, OMA’s research and creativity studio, has imagined a scenography dedicated to the office for the Prada men’s fashion show at Milano Fashion Week. On January 14, within Fondazione Prada, Rem Koolhass brought the aesthetics of the workplace into a fashion context, combining the natural world with the office design. The intent of Prada and the design studio was to show the duality of nature and open spaces with the sometimes alienating concept of offices still organized in cubicles. Contact with green elements and natural light is in fact shaping contemporary headquarters projects, thanks to the proven benefit that these elements have on the wellbeing and productivity of employees. A provocation, therefore, pushed the public to reflect on the theme of wellbeing in a context of high media exposure, such as the Milano Fashion Week.
The Office Set for the Catwalk
On an expanse of leaves, grass, pebbles and waterways, Amo installed a steel grid with a floating plexiglass floor which became the walkway, to admire the natural background. The audience seating consisted of ergonomic office chairs, placed along curvilinear lines to create paths for the models. The lighting was entrusted to LED strips contained within the pendant lamps commonly found in company headquarters. Some fog was spread across the space to create the atmosphere of an urban jungle, making the setting mysterious.
At the edges of the set, walls made up of blue panels, similar to old cubicles, could be observed, while workstations were recreated with large desks, swivel chairs, computers showing the Prada logo and separation screens in shades of blue.
The Collection on the Catwalk
The scenography was meant to reflect the collection presented by the Milanese brand which represents “the emotional instinct of remaining attached to something we know, such as the cycles of nature. Today there is an increasingly need to connect with the world around us,” Prada declared in a press release. “Demonstrating the paradoxical dichotomy between two worlds coexisting – offices and nature – the show explored humanity’s fundamental truths, natural instincts and emotional needs.”
The dresses of Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons who paraded in this office set perfectly reflected the environment. Classic jackets and ties found their place alongside futuristic headphones and sunglasses. An interesting example in which the design of workplaces contaminates the world of fashion, demonstrating the central role of these environments on people’s well-being.
Immagini Prada Group