Prada’s iconic ‘ripstop’ nylon fabric began to come to fruition after Miuccia Prada joined the luxury fashion house in 1977. Miuccia found that traditional leather bags were too ‘boring’ and ‘bourgeois’, so she decided to reinvent designer bags by creating them with military-grade nylon. The nylon in question came from a company making parachutes for the military with very fine thread on machines from the 19th century. In 1984, Miuccia designed her now-famous backpack with the iconic nylon that would become a best seller and sold for the same price as a classic leather bag. The decision to price the nylon bags at the same price point as a leather bag faced a lot of backlash, however, Miuccia retaliated that the nylon was specialised and took three to four years of developing to get just right. All these years later, Prada’s nylon bags remain desirable and are a timeless accessory that remain iconic to the fashion house. This guide will highlight significant features of the nylon Prada bag to ensure and identify their authenticity.
The Material
The Lining
The Plaque
Additional Accents
Take a look at Irvrsbl's other authentication guides or shop the selection of Prada pieces online here.