Brief
Prada Unveils Eight‑Floor Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II Transformation
The luxury house has turned the original 1913 Prada shop into a multi‑level cultural space, linking its Donna and Uomo stores via a secret underground corridor.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Prada has opened an eight‑floor complex inside Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the historic arcade that first housed the brand’s leather‑goods shop in 1913. The new space, called Prada Galleria, connects the Donna and Uomo boutiques through a subterranean passage called the Passaggio Segreto, and adds a pastry shop, a private art collection and a permanent exhibition wing dedicated to media theory.
Design and layout
The layout follows a narrative logic, starting at street level with an expanded travel line and home and beauty offerings in Prada Donna, and moving upward to Prada Uomo. Above the women's store sits Marchesi 1824, a pastry institution acquired by Prada, and above that the Pradasphere exhibition, which displays more than a century of archival material that has never before been shown publicly.
Philosophy and collaboration
Prada has long said it is built on friction rather than a single aesthetic signature, inviting collaborators from architecture, cinema, art and sport to shape its direction. The new Galleria is the first time that philosophy has been given a floor plan, with the underground corridor doubling as an exhibition of the company’s “firsts” – nascent experiments that later became part of its methodology.
Commercial and experiential elements
Beyond retail, the Galleria offers salon‑style rooms for appointment‑only shopping and a studio for private appointments. The space is designed to be wandered rather than shopped efficiently, reflecting the brand’s intent to treat its archives as a public utility rather than a vault.
Key facts
- Prada Galleria spans eight floors inside Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (gulfnews.com)
- The Passaggio Segreto links Prada Donna and Prada Uomo (gulfnews.com)
- The complex includes a pastry shop, private art collection and permanent exhibition (gulfnews.com)
- Prada has positioned its archives as a public utility in the Pradasphere exhibition (gulfnews.com)
Background
Prada’s transformation follows its recent expansion into Milan’s historic arcade, a site that has served as the brand’s civic living room for over a century.
Why it matters
The project marks a significant shift in how luxury houses present their heritage, blending retail, culture and collaboration in a single architectural statement.
What happens next
Prada has announced that the Galleria will remain open permanently, with no plans to relocate the exhibition wing.
Sources
- [1] gulfnews.com — originally reported as “Prada Galleria: Inside the Eight-Floor Fashion Universe Transforming Milan’s Historic Arcade”
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