Prada Journal: Transformation

Writers of the world, take note. Prada has just launched a new edition of the Prada Journal, a competition aimed at incipient literary geniuses. In a world where we now share everything, Prada provides all young talents who want to explore the visual universe through the written word with the opportunity to share their view of the world through their stories. La Fondazione Prada, the Italian firm’s artistic laboratory, which is always interested in promoting cultural activities and sponsoring young artists, continues to develop artistic initiatives through this writing competition, run in collaboration with Italian publishing house Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore.

The initiative forms part of a broader trend within the luxury sector aimed at integrating culture into the lifestyle it offers. It is, of course, the brainchild of the company’s creative soul, namely Ms Prada. With her doctorate in political sciences, Miuccia Prada stands out in the world of fashion for her intellectual and artistic approach.

“Transformation” is the theme of the Prada Feltrinelli Prize 2014, whose objective is to understand the transformation we are going through on a day-to-day basis, and how we can change the future. The key questions the young writers have to address are “What are the signs of a world in constant change and what situations can we imagine?”  Thus the competition is not only for young people who like fashion, but also for those who love to write and imagine a different world.

The entries, which can be written in the native language of each participant, must comprise between 4,000 and 8,000 words. The winners will receive a cash prize of €5,000 and will be selected by a group of international literary experts, whose names will be announced over the next few weeks. The winning entries will be published in both English and in the original language in the Prada Journal section of the main Prada website.

The first edition of the competition was held last year and attracted over 1,300 short stories in languages that included English, Chinese, Italian, French, Japanese, and Turkish. The five winners were announced last September, and were from Argentina, Australia, China, Italy and the US. Their work later appeared in an ebook published by Prada.

Prada further added to the occasion by presenting the Prada Journal prescription glasses collection launched in collaboration with Luxottica. The collection features Prada’s hallmark style but with more delicate and finer lines. Could there be any better way to expand, diversify and connect with new clients than to let young people tell you stories and to align narratives about other people’s lives with your company? Although the main point to take on board here is that leaders of the luxury industry are assuming the responsibility of discovering young talents and helping them to develop.