Prada’s new Milan exhibition turns a century of fashion into fresh discoveries

MILAN (AP) — Iconic A-line skirts twirl overhead, silver-covered handbags gleam in a secret underground passage and a spacesuit prototype brings more than a century of fashion history into the future at Prada’s new permanent exhibition in Milan, called “Pradasphere.”

The highly visual journey through the Italian luxury brand’s evolution is connecting Prada aficionados with the fashion house’s heritage in ways that go beyond nostalgia, and already is promising a commercial payoff.

“The exhibition is a multiplier,” said Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group's chief group marketing officer.

Prada projects that the Pradasphere exhibition anchoring the brand's expansion in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele shopping arcade will add 100 million euros ($111 million) in annual revenues, and Bertelli said that target could be surpassed.

Pradasphere is fully booked into the new year and Bertelli said visitors have shown a tendency to spend more after immersing themselves in the brand’s history, sometimes going back to make an additional purchase after walking through the eight Pradasphere spaces.

“We see that the customers who go through the museum have a completely different perspective of the brand and also they browse the store with completely different minds,” said Bertelli, who has been identified as the future leader of the Prada Group. The 38-year-old, whose roles include executive chairman of Versace, is the son of creative director Miuccia Prada and Prada Group chairman Patrizio Bertelli.

Longtime Prada lovers will know that Mario and Martino Prada founded Fratelli Prada in 1913 in the historic Galleria. But they may never have seen in person the luxury bags and accessories, including a pleated evening bag with a devilish head-shaped clasp, its tongue sticking out, a detail that appeared on the Spring-Summer 2024 runway.

And it may be news that the brothers designed the brand’s signature inverted triangle logo.

Miuccia Prada’s third-generation entrance into the family business is announced with trademark nylon bags that she began designing in the 1970s, embodying the Prada high-low, industrial-luxury paradox, and a chocolate brown opera coat from her first runway collection presented in 1988.

The exhibition contains many runway hits, including the 2012 Flame heels and the Formica tile prints that gave birth to Prada’s “ugly chic” reputation, while also highlighting Miuccia Prada’s and the senior Bertelli’s reach into art, architecture, film and sport.

“Curiosity and having fun is what drives my parents,” the younger Bertelli said, adding that experimentation doesn't always bring immediate financial success, “but for sure it drives the enrichment of our story, and our culture and our knowledge.”

He cited as an example investments in sports and engineering made with the formation of the Luna Rossa America’s Cup sailing team in the 1990s, which helped develop the kind of materials expertise that led Prada to collaborate with Axiom Space on a space suit, a prototype of which is displayed at the end of the exhibition.

Prada helped design the suit’s outer layer, which is engineered to withstand extreme thermal conditions, as well as the high-performance inner layer, with a focus on thermal regulation and comfort. It is intended for astronauts walking on the moon on NASA’s Artemis IV mission, targeted for 2028.

Just 20 visitors are admitted to Pradasphere by appointment each hour to explore the compact eight rooms of the exhibition, which Bertelli promises will be in constant evolution.

Prada’s presence in the Galleria now spans eight floors, encompassing the existing Marchesi 1824 pastry shop and Osservatorio Fondazione Prada contemporary art space, alongside the new exhibition, private salon and apartment.

Most visitors end their journey in a secret underground passage connecting the menswear and womenswear boutiques, the latter occupying the original Fratelli Prada premises.

The passage contains “lesser-known” chapters from the brand’s history, including a chandelier dress created for Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby.”

“It was a great experience,” said Luca Missio, an architect from the northeastern Italian city of Udine. “I recognized the stores I’ve visited around the world, in Tokyo and New York, in the models and displays. That was lovely.”

Marketing Director of the Prada Group Lorenzo Bertelli poses during an interview with the Associated Press at the Prada fashion brand permanent exhibition called 'Pradasphere', offering a rare deep dive into the history, craftsmanship, and evolution of the iconic Italian fashion house, located inside the historic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

A visitor enjoys the Prada fashion brand permanent exhibition called 'Pradasphere', offering a rare deep dive into the history, craftsmanship, and evolution of the iconic Italian fashion house, located inside the historic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Visitors watch Artesis spacesuit prototypes displayed at the Prada fashion brand permanent exhibition called 'Pradasphere', offering a rare deep dive into the history, craftsmanship, and evolution of the iconic Italian fashion house, located inside the historic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

A dress from the first ready-to-wear collection of 1988 is displayed at the Prada fashion brand permanent exhibition called 'Pradasphere', offering a rare deep dive into the history, craftsmanship, and evolution of the iconic Italian fashion house, located inside the historic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Visitors enjoy the Prada fashion brand permanent exhibition called 'Pradasphere', offering a rare deep dive into the history, craftsmanship, and evolution of the iconic Italian fashion house, located inside the historic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jaylen Brown hit some jumpers on the Sixers' end of the court. Jayson Tatum warmed up on his side with his Celtics teammates.

Neither All-Star decided to shoot his shot with the other.

Brown and Tatum kept their distance during pregame warmups ahead of Tuesday's game when the Celtics played Philadelphia for the first time since the summer trade that saw Brown surprisingly switch sides.

Tatum tried to dap up Brown before the opening tip with a tap on the shoulder and thump on the chest that his former teammate ignored. Tatum shook hands and exchanged a big hug with LeBron James.

Brown and Tatum were long-time teammates who won an NBA championship together in Boston only for their frosty personal relationship to interfere with what had been one of the more dynamic 1-2 duos in the league.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Brown said Sunday in Chicago. “He’s on his side; I’m on my side. Both of us are trying to win. Nothing to talk about. Check the ball up.”

Neither player talked ahead of Tuesday's game.

The game was streamed on Peacock and the network gave the showdown all the hype on social media of an old school heavyweight fight.

“Jaylen Brown vs. Jayson Tatum. For the first time ever,” the post captioned over clips of both players from their time with the Celtics and into this season.

Brown got the better of Tatum early when he picked off his old teammate's pass and fed the ball to Tyrese Maxey for a 3-pointer.

Brown said last month there was “ no beef ” between himself and Tatum, even as the dissection over the end of their relationship had dragged into the season.

“There might be a little lamb chops and some gravy,” Brown said last month in response to a social media post. “He should stay ready at all times.”

The trade has been a success for both teams. The 76ers. with Brown and James aboard, are 9-2 and the Celtics have the second-best record in the East at 8-2.

“I think it'll be interesting,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said ahead of the game. “I would imagine that they've played some 1-on-1 against each other quite a bit over the last number of years, and I would imagine that will play itself out a little bit.”

Joe Mazzulla coached both players when they won the 2024 NBA championship. Brown was the 2024 NBA Finals MVP.

He was a five-time All-Star and wound up with career-best averages of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season while Tatum missed most of last season while recovering from an Achilles tendon tear that happened during the 2025 playoffs.

With both players healthy and carrying hefty salaries that would eventually swell to about 70% of Boston's salary cap, the franchise had to choose which player to keep. Boston chose Tatum.

Brown was traded to the rival 76ers in July for Paul George and draft picks.

“I think it's all something really interesting for all of us to be able to watch tonight and see how it goes,” Nurse said.

The 36-year-old George also made his return to Philadelphia after two flat seasons with the Sixers. George was poised to join Embiid and Maxey to form a Philly Big Three when he left the Clippers and signed a four-year, $212 million free-agent contract ahead of the 2024 season.

George instead was ravaged by knee and adductor injuries — among others — that robbed the nine-time All-Star of his full potential that he flashed in his three previous NBA stops.

He was suspended 25 games last season for violating the terms of the NBA’s anti-drug program. George returned for the final 10 games of the season and was a key contributor in helping the Sixers rally from 3-1 down to beat the Celtics in a first-round playoff series.

George was traded to Boston and he instead joined a list that included Jimmy Butler and James Harden of All-Star hired guns that failed to win a title with the Sixers.

George — whose 20.4 points entering the game is higher than either of his two seasons in Philadelphia — said at shootaround the game had no extra meaning.

“Had I been here eight, nine, 10 years, different story,” George said. “I was here two years. Obviously, we didn’t have the best of luck or had a great, I think, partnership in terms of my ability to stay healthy and on the floor. So that kind of played into a lot of it. It's a tremendous fan base. A great sports town to play in."

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum smiles as he stands on the court during the second half of an NBA Cup basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Philadelphia 76ers' Jaylen Brown (7) argues with referees while looking for a foul call against Chicago Bulls' Jalen Smith, center, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)