Less as a reboot and more as an upgrade.

Prada doesn&rsquo;t believe in clean slates. And honestly, why should it? At Milan Fashion Week, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons unveiled their Fall/Winter 2026 Menswear collection with a title that says it all: Before and Next. It&rsquo;s a neat, almost philosophical proposition, an exploration of how menswear evolves without pretending the past never happened.
Think of it less as a reboot and more as an upgrade.
Described as an &ldquo;archaeology of thought,&rdquo; the collection digs through layers of memory, tradition, and visual history, brushing off the dust and reassembling familiar menswear codes into something quietly radical. This is Prada at its most intellectual but never stiff, never boring.

Prada Men's Autumn/Winter 2026. Photography courtesy of Prada.

The silhouettes told the story first. Long, elongated, and precise, the clothes demanded posture. Shoulders were set with intent, coats sliced cleanly down the body, and trousers stretched proportions just enough to make you hyper-aware of how you occupy space. These were clothes that didn&rsquo;t slouch. They stood tall, almost ceremonial, turning the act of getting dressed into a conscious gesture.
Outerwear took centre stage, as it often does at Prada but here it felt especially symbolic. High-buttoning topcoats brought a sense of formality and restraint, while trench coats were unexpectedly paired with colourful utility capes, injecting a flash of optimism into otherwise disciplined looks. Quilted down jackets, crafted from rumpled brown leather, felt lived-in, tactile, and human, luxury that remembers being used.
Then there were the prints. Collaged and layered, they felt like visual time capsules, references pulled from antiquity, the Renaissance, and beyond, mashed together in a way that felt thoughtful rather than nostalgic. Roman-esque motifs surfaced not as costume, but as fragments symbols displaced and recontextualised.&nbsp;

The colour palette and textures reinforced this idea of time passing. Earthy tones, worn-in leathers, and surfaces that felt almost weathered carried impressions of life and duration. These weren&rsquo;t pristine clothes, they had memory. In Prada&rsquo;s world, remembrance isn&rsquo;t sentimental; it&rsquo;s respectful.
The setting did its part, too. The show took place in the Deposito of the Fondazione Prada, transformed into a liminal space that blurred the line between private interior lives and public gathering. It felt open, exposed, and intentionally unfinished, mirroring the collection&rsquo;s idea of revealing what is usually hidden.
Details that are often concealed were brought forward. Seams, structures, and layers were made visible, reinforcing the theme of openness and honesty. Nothing was trying to disguise itself as something else. What you saw was the point.

Show Notes: Prada Men's Fall/Winter 2026 collection is all about time

Tags

Related Articles

Runway

Show Notes: Dolce & Gabbana Autumn/Winter 2026 is a love letter to modern masculinity

Runway

Show Notes: At Zegna's Autumn/Winter 2026 show, quiet luxury still runs the room

Fashion

Everything you need to know about Milan Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2026

Recommended posts for you

Fashion

Dior ushers the new era of eclectism

Runway