Prada amplifies cultural capital with 'The Sound of Prada' in Berlin
In a fusion of fashion, music, and urban culture, Prada deepened its cultural investment with the latest instalment of The Sound of Prada —a branded experience rooted in global creativity—staged in Berlin this week. Anchored by the Prada Eyewear division, the event reaffirms the Italian luxury house's ongoing ambition to remain not just a purveyor of style but a cultivator of cultural influence.
Held at the Kranzler Eck, a storied café overlooking Berlin's Kurfürstendamm—long a meeting ground for intellectuals, creatives, and tastemakers—the event reflected Prada's calculated alignment with cities that embody artistic disruption. Berlin, with its post-reunification reputation as a capital of electronic music and counterculture, proved a fitting host for this latest iteration.
Headlining the evening was American singer, actor, and producer Janelle Monáe, performing under her DJ alter ego, DJ Johnny Jane. Monáe, a decorated performer with eight Grammy nominations and a history of fusing afrofuturism with political commentary, brought star power and subversive edge to the evening. Her Wondaland Arts Society, which has cultivated talents like Jidenna and St. Beauty, reflects the kind of curatorial authority Prada seeks to associate with.
Supporting acts included Christian AB—known for genre-bending electronica—and Channel Tres, whose signature blend of house, G-funk, and techno echoes Berlin's own music scene, which remains a significant export for Germany, accounting for over €1 billion in cultural value according to the German Music Council.
Prada's 'Sound of' series launched in Paris in 2019 and has since moved through key cultural capitals including London (2021), Cannes (2022), and Seoul (2024). Each edition combines live music with fashion presentations and location-specific installations. In Berlin, guests experienced a site-specific environment dedicated to the Prada Symbole eyewear collection, a core category for the brand's licensing and accessories business.
The strategy behind The Sound of Prada is emblematic of a wider shift in luxury branding—from passive product promotion to immersive storytelling that situates the brand at the centre of a cultural ecosystem. By choosing artist-driven cities and spotlighting musical innovation, Prada is creating experiential touchpoints that go beyond fashion weeks and traditional campaign formats.
The guest list reinforced Prada's positioning at the intersection of pop culture and luxury, including actors Kit Connor, Ncuti Gatwa, and Clemens Schick, as well as brand ambassadors Troye Sivan and Benedetta Porcaroli. This talent curation complements the brand's global marketing strategy, which has increasingly leaned on rising Gen Z and millennial figures with high digital resonance.
With eyewear now accounting for a growing share of luxury accessory sales—Euromonitor estimates the global luxury eyewear market at over 16 billion dollars—Prada's investment in lifestyle-led promotion via its Symbole collection exemplifies the potential of experiential marketing not only to sell product but to reinforce cultural relevance. Prada Eyewear Credits: Courtesy Prada
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