Launched at the NorthPark store on Tuesday, the pop-up shop will stay open through June 27.
As reported, Prada Outdoor made its debut in the U.S. at the Prada Broadway store in New York’s SoHo last Friday, and will be followed by Prada’s Beverly Hills store on June 14, and Miami Design on June 24. Neiman Marcus at NorthPark is the only wholesale account to feature Prada Outdoor.
“We are incredibly proud of our strong partnership and business momentum with Prada and delighted to be their exclusive U.S. department store partner for the Prada Outdoor ‘Coast’ collection pop-up store,” said Lana Todorovich, president and chief merchandising officer of Neiman Marcus. “We’ve been listening closely to what our most valuable customers want to experience and buy right now. Our customers are back in the stores and ready for exciting, joyful and immersive in-person shopping experiences. Prada has created a theatrical, fun-filled beach setting in-store that highlights the new exclusive ‘Coast’ themed collection.”
Marcelo Noschese, chief executive officer of Prada and Miu Miu Americas, said, “Prada Outdoor is above all an experience; a celebration of nature and the respite it has provided us all this past year. Partnering with Neiman Marcus and having the opportunity to welcome our clients in Dallas to reconnect with them in person, is another excellent occasion to strengthen our presence in the U.S. market in a moment in which the brand is experiencing strong momentum.”
The Prada Outdoor main installation at Neiman’s is 2,250 square feet, with two other teaser pop-ups at the Neiman’s store entrance, as well as on the second floor.
While the overall concept is similar to Prada New York City’s activation, it has been designed to fit into Neiman’s retail space.
According to Todorovich, customers are first greeted by a window focused on Prada merchandise, then welcomed in-store with two teaser moments, and ultimately immersed into a multidimensional, multisensory experience. “You are really transported through coastal elements — sand, interactive games, lemonade stands, volleyball courts, and live models showing looks from the collection. The magnitude of the experience set-up is quite impressive,” she said.
Todorovich noted that the offerings include an assortment of beachwear, crocheted tunics, sequined slip dresses, denim washed skirts and tops, and colorful poplin stretch pieces for women. She said one highlight is the poplin mini dresses in irregular multicolor stripes, another signature of Prada interpreted in a new way for the Coast collection.
The men’s collection has a similar feel. There are stretch poplin shorts, sweatshirts, colorful bowling shirts and “beautiful perforated Nappa bomber jackets,” she said. Rounding out the collection are fun bags in a variety of sizes, shapes and materials, logo slippers and sandals, as well as charm bracelets, beach volleyballs, towels, lunch boxes, surfboards and skateboards.
Women’s ready-to-wear retails from $175 to $5,400, while men’s rtw ranges from $695 to $5,100. Women’s accessories are $295 to $1,900, while shoes range from $625 to $995. Men’s shoes are $625 to $825, accessories are $295 to $975. and bags are $1,490 to $1,720.
Asked what she feels will be the bestsellers, Todorovich said, “While every piece in the collection is exceptional, our customers are going to be especially delighted by the handbags and shoes. Pop colors in the new and iconic Prada Spugna materials splash across totes and sandals. These are signature touches only Prada can create to reimagine the new look for Coast.”
While Dallas NorthPark is the only Neiman’s that will have the full Prada “Coast” installation, all of the retailer’s customers can have access to the collection through their sales associate or style adviser.
Prada Outdoor, which is a series of pop-up shops and in-store installations, is dedicated to the emotions conveyed by four settings — Garden, Coast, Mountain and Snow. Each one contains a selection of original products recalling each particular environment. As reported, the Prada Outdoor Garden theme debuted in China in April and rolled out, adding the Coast and Mountain themes, in different countries, such as Japan, South Korea, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Singapore.
In other Prada news related to World Oceans Day on Tuesday, Prada Group and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, project office of the Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, have unfurled the second edition of Sea Beyond, an educational program dedicated to ocean preservation and sustainability, which was introduced in 2019.
Based on the success of the first edition with the intention of linking the project to the U.N. Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, which started in January, the program will be enriched with global and local initiatives. The program includes a new educational model for secondary school students around the world, continuing to work with the same countries, which took part in the first edition, but also adding other nations such as Brazil, Peru and Namibia. At the end of the learning process will be a global contest to select the best student projects. An additional component will be the involvement of Prada Group’s 13,000 employees around the world that includes webinars as well as an app that will be used to commit every country and organize a “sustainable challenge” on a global scale.
Prada will also support IOC-UNESCO in founding the “Kindergarten of the Lagoon,” in Venice. The kindergarten will be established on the basis of outdoor education principles. The first of its kind in a lagoon, it will be launched in 2022 with some 20 children as an experimental phase. Its intention is to give children the opportunity to get to know the sea since early childhood.
“We are very proud of the success of Sea Beyond, stemming from UNESCO’s Oceanographic Commission’s passion to continuing to dedicate every day to the promotion of a more responsible ocean. Today we are pleased to launch a new phase of the project, which plans to address not only students from all over the world but also a wider audience, with the aim of engaging loyal committees and our employees on a global scale,” said Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group head of corporate social responsibility.