Redefining Advertisements

Emma Lyne Pouch

           Any successful salesman knows that it isn’t just the product and location that makes a store flourish it’s the advertising. Today’s companies have to go beyond a big sign or a nice ad in the newspaper to be noticed, they must be innovative in a new approach to catch the attention of the buyer. A brand that has recently taken on this challenge and going further than imagined is Prada with their very own virtual campus. These projects use architecture to change the way we experience shopping as well as merging the design elements of fashion and construction. We see this in two different scenarios; one being the Prada flagship store in New York City while the other is a sculptural piece in Marfa, Texas.

            For the first major statement piece, Prada commissioned Rem Koolhaas and his firm OMA to design their flagship store in New York City.  The building was designed to reflect the fashion and couture within. The center of the store is like the valley between two hills; standing there you find a smooth wooden hill on one side and enlarged stairs on the other. The hill contains a fold down element that serves as a stage for shows as well as display during business hours while the stairs can display merchandise or be seating for shows, films or other events taking place within the store. To compliment this design there is a large wall designated for a mural that changes with the new collections.  Another element that complements the rotating fashion designs is the use of technology within the space. Large screens along the walls and small panels hanging around the clothes show pictures and videos that relate to the themes and inspiration of the collection.  Upon the completion of this store, Prada had sparked an interest with the average shopper. Rem Koolhaas successfully created a space that people wanted to interact with and experience for themselves. That is the best kind of advertising, it isn’t a simple commercial or a nice picture that people might consider for a second and then never get around to. This project pulls them into the store and challenges the way the consumer is involved in shopping.

            The second radical move by Prada was commissioning artists Elmgreen and Dragset to create a permanently installed sculpture in Marfa, Texas. They found a comedic side to architecture in placing what is designed to look like a Prada storefront on the highway in the middle of nowhere. They kept the design simple with two large display windows and a nonfunctioning door that allows passersby to view the small collection of Prada shoes and bags chosen by Miuccia Prada herself. This is a second and very different form of advertisement through art and architecture. Instead of sparking interest through fancy modern designs in a big city, they choose the opposite approach in placing a simple, unusable space in a rural area to get people talking on the statement Prada is trying to make. In both approaches Prada is getting their name out there and expanded their art to more than just fashion, this is taking an interest in other ways of expression to showcase what this company is all about.