In 1913, Miuccia Prada's grandfather, Mario, established a family-run luxury leather goods company in Milan. In 1978, a reluctant Miuccia assumed the reins, after completing a PhD in Political Science. At the same time, she met her husband Patrizio Bertelli, who eventually took over the business side of the company. In 1985, she designed a line of black, unlabelled, sturdy but finely-woven nylon handbags that immediately became fashion must-haves. Prada launched its ready-to-wear collection on the Milan runways in 1989 to critical acclaim, with its simple, austere lines against the excess of the other labels at the time. Since then, Prada has been at the forefront of the fashion world, winning the prestigious CFDA International Award in 1993 and influencing designers over the world.
