Prada Focuses on Sustainability in ‘Disruptive’ Fine Jewelry Debut
In 2010 designer Prada, Italy’s foremost luxury brand, launched its first sustainable collection. The idea of sustainable luxury was nothing new, but Prada’s was different. The company, which made its name over a decade ago making high-end clothing and handbags at a time of limited resources, was the first to take a step into sustainability.
Prada’s ‘Sustainability at Prada’ campaign was a full-blown multimedia initiative consisting of a book, TV ad series, street art, and a social media campaign, in which the company’s customers were encouraged to recycle, think about the future, and live sustainably. For many, the campaign’s sustainability messages and the inspiration they gave to do the right thing became a driving force in their lives. In 2011, the company invested 15 million euros in the project and raised $200 million in funds from The Coca-Cola Company, The Royal Mail, and Nike.
Today, the sustainability efforts that launched the company’s sustainable future continue to make headlines. Over the past two years, Prada has been one of the country’s leading designers when it comes to sustainability efforts, and the latest project is a new line of jewelry featuring recycled components. The project, which will be available at the beginning of this year, is made up of three pieces in different shapes and sizes, and the pieces were created to take environmental impacts into consideration.
“The inspiration behind the jewelry was to encourage sustainability and take a holistic approach to the idea of green,” says Prada Sustainability Manager, Francesca Zaccari. “We decided to make use and reuse the materials and in this context it is important to think about the full lifecycle of a product and what’s the best way to recycle it.”
With the latest jewelry launch, Prada is continuing to expand its