For 2018 Prada relaunches the classic Prada Linea Rossa as an evolved, reactive technical collection keyed to the ideology of the twenty-first century. In 2018, Prada Linea Rossa underscores its foundations and origins in 1990s sportswear, drawing on the precision of the lines and refinement of aesthetic that defined the look of the era. Today, this ideology still has resonance.

Tied intrinsically to the fundamental identity of Prada, to its elevation of the industrial and functional to form a new breed of modern luxury, Prada Linea Rossa first launched in 1997. Its new incarnation debuted at the men’s and women’s Fall/Winter 2018 shows, entirely integrated into the Prada aesthetic lexicon. A focus on technical detailing and new manufacturing possibilities singles out Prada Linea Rossa as a distinct, defined offering within the Prada mainline. A new facet of the Prada universe.

Prada Linea Rossa fuses high fashion with high performance, design excellence with technical prowess. Each item is hyper-functional, devised with cutting-edge methodology. In this refresh of Prada Linea Rossa, twenty-first century industrial and scientific advances in textiles and manufacture inform design decisions, in a synthesis of form and function. The range offers a complete wardrobe, through outerwear, footwear and specially-conceived pieces geared to the demands of specific activities, including skiing and snowboarding.

For the first collection, the reengineering includes the iconic Prada Linea Rossa emblem - the slender red flash across the neck and chest, a badge of identity connecting everything. In latex, it is applied underneath a cut window in fabric and heat-sealed in a completely new process. This underscores the ethos of the line, drawing on the heritage of Prada Linea Rossa, yet reinvented for now. Minimalism is the key approach: garments are clean, precise, pure and entirely streamlined in form. Technology is unconnected to gender - garments are unisex, and pieces transform on the body of both women and men.

Materials distinguish the range: innovative, forward-thinking, futuristic, they define Prada Linea Rossa. These include nanotech fabrics with high conductive capacity favouring body temperature regulation; graphene, a substance deriving from graphite; a new generation of padding, composed of graphene and recycled polyester; Goretex Pro water-repellent microfiber; Primaloft padding; and ultra-light Nylon 3L with high abrasion resistance, the thinnest membrane in the world. The classic Prada 'Tela Tecnica' sportswear fabric has been re-addressed, made even more technical with the addition of anti-wind and waterproof elements alongside total breathability, and renamed ‘Tela Tecnica Pro’. Prada’s hallmark nylon is reinterpreted in feather weights.

Heightening the technicality integral to the line, the Prada Linea Rossa garments are assembled by advanced methods of heat and internal heat-sealing, devoid of stitching in their entirety. A new way of creating clothes, alongside a new way of considering them.

Starting September 2018, the Prada Linea Rossa collection is available across the world in selected Prada stores and department stores, as well as on prada.com.