Made in Prada: Come behind the scenes of the Couture techniques used in Prada Fall/Winter 2023

It's a rare thing, to see behind the scenes of the revered Prada seamstresses.

While every divine collection by the Italian Maison requires excellent detail craftsmanship, it was the recent Prada Fall/Winter 2023 collection, with its intricate embroideries that required such special techniques and endless hours of expert manual work, they were in fact, characteristic of haute couture.

Our friends at Prada have given us this rare glimpse into the complicated (but, oh so worth it) handcrafted techniques that put together some of the most loved pieces in the collection. For instance, the detailing on the "Prada Wedding Group" skirts, are all handmade and stitched by skilled artisans, using the varied techniques below. You can clearly see the precision with which each floral detail is carried out would be hours, upon hours, of perfecting the perfect petals.

Get to know Prada's "Pendant embroidery"

Scattered in a seemingly random manner, large satin flowers such as calla lilies, bouquets of bellflowers and liliums, adorn the skirt with their winding stems. A veil allows the eye to recognize them underneath. This design involves the use of doubled fabric, both for the base and for the flowers. The handcrafted flowers are assembled one by one by skilled experts, with the help of a loom that follows a defined pattern. The flowers’ stems are made of a tubular padded fabric to give them shape and support.

Types of flower: plant stems, blossoms, petunias, lily ribbons, tulip ribbons
Fabrics: duchesse satin, poplin, silk gazar, organza, chiffon.

Get to know Prada's "Standing embroidery"

Crafted with an approach typical of haute couture, micro jasmines are applied to a layer of veil covering the skirt to resemble a bride’s veil. Using a fabric with a strictly natural composition, the corolla requires a lengthy and complex preparation process. The stem is made from a special cotton organza that is handcrafted with great skill. Heat from the hand is used to obtain the thin tube shape. “Standing” embroidery is created solely by hand, using a loom as well as a high degree of skill and precision. In order to ensure stability, the jasmines are held in place at the base of their stems with a few cross stitches.

Type of flower: jasmine
Fabrics: cotton organza

Get to know Prada's "Pom Pom embroidery"

A tufted pattern made up of tubular pieces of different lengths and thicknesses, assembled from the center to form a semi-spherical cabochon. The fabrics are cut on the bias into strips, which are then rolled onto themselves with the help of an iironing technique.

Type: pom pom
Fabrics: silk gazar, silk organza

In the recent Prada FW23 collection, wedding dresses - symbols of love - became everyday attire, their skirts proposed with sweaters as a new form of quotidian dress. Yet with their intricate flowers adorned by the Maison's passionate seamstresses, these tokens of affection become another symbol or gesture of care - like the care taken to handcraft them. 

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