Prada Men's SS26 Perfects Nostalgic Futurism

Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada deconstruct the house codes with an enticing Men's Spring/Summer 2026 collection

By Louise Daniel

Prada refuses to be put in a box. In fact, the house would rather turn the box into another form entirely: add holes where none belong, stack layers that border on the whimsical, then reconstruct the box into something else unrecognizable. Similarly, this season, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons invite us to perceive fashion beyond the analytical. Echoing their experiments from past seasons, Prada’s approach remains instinctual: embracing tension and impermanence. With this season's thematic nostalgic futurism, the duo sets the tone for what might have otherwise felt like a predictable summer.

Staged in the iconic Deposito at Fondazione Prada, the venue was punctuated with flower-shaped rugs; a playful wink to the kitschy 70s bathtub appliqués. Here, Simons and Prada opted to dismantle uniforms, shatter boundaries, and revel in the art of reduction. Silhouettes are stripped back, guided by the house’s signature definition of functionality over fuss, and styled with ease and freedom from conformity.

At the highly anticipated show, the house welcomed notable attendees, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Harris Dickinson, Tosin Cole, Kentaro Sakaguchi, Metawin, and TransForm Project.

Noteable guests of the house: Benedict Cumberbatch, Frank Dillane, Harris Dickinson, Riz Ahmed, Kentaro Sakaguch, Metawin, and Tosin Cole attend the Prada Men's SS26 runway show during Milan Fashion Week. (Photos courtesy of Prada)

The opening look featured a crisp white embroidered short-sleeved shirt and pewter underpinning which walked with crumpled khaki swim shorts and classic loafers as a modern take on summer dressing. This set the stage for surprises including a bold red turtleneck walking with a short-sleeved double-breasted suit, deconstructed shredded straw hats, leathers paired with flip-flops, and military codes colliding with 70s floral prints. The ethos this season became clear with just a single look: a green straw hat, a red polo, neon green summer sunglasses, and a brown leather jacket paired with powder-blue flip-flops. Apparent decades captured with a single look. This unexpected combination sparks a narrative that invites us to wonder what lies beyond the threshold of Prada's future-past?

Prada Men's SS26: Looks 1, 2 (Photos courtesy of Prada)

Prada Men's SS26: Looks 3, 47, 51, 10, 31, 55 (Photos courtesy of Prada)

In the end, these are clothes eager to leave the runway, perhaps to wander along the lakes of Northern Italy. Each look transports us to unknown destinations with colorful characters from stories yet to be told — their uniforms mezmerizingly out-of-place and shattering our expectations, all too well. Harnessing the power of palpable tension, the Prada Men's SS26 collection successfully builds a story seeped in irony and stripped to necessity. Designed to feel limitless, covetable pieces emerge in their own rite, slipping easily into summer narratives that are definitively your own.