Anyone looking for signs that luxury is shifting its demographic focus could point to Prada. At its latest runway show, for its spring summer ’24 menswear collection held a Milan Men’s Fashion Week, the brand decked out its catwalk with slime.
The sticky substance could have been interpreted as a curious accessory to a stark, scientific looking set design, or a symbol of the collection’s exploration of fluidity in silhouettes. But to anyone whose childhood took place in the ’80s or ’90s, the slime was a pure nostalgia trip.
It’s the substance that came to define children’s network Nickelodeon, first with the throwback series “You Can’t Do That On Television,” to the long-running “Double Dare. It still uses slime at its long-running Kids’ Choice Awards. Green slime was also a key part of ’80’s-kid-classic “Ghostbusters,” where Slimer’s ectoplasm was marketed out to a variety of children’s products (High-C Ecto Cooler, anyone?).
Last week, green slime found its place on the hallowed runways of Prada, dripping from the ceiling in pools as models walked past the piles of ooze. The shoes fit the scenario — at least in slickness. A series of loafers and lace-ups finished in ultra-shiny patent leather and angled square toes followed the squishy-ness of the slime. Devoid of Prada’s usual status-symbol hardware, the brand swapped the triangular logo for a miniscule “Prada” tag on one side.
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The soft loafers and lace ups were paired with equally slouchy bags, including a shoulder style with two front flap pockets and a top flap, a shape reminiscent of some of the more attainable vintage Prada bag styles found on secondhand sites.
The spring summer ’24 men’s collection is a clear indication that Prada is ready to start a new footwear chapter for the brand, at least on the men’s side. While recent runway collections and commercial offerings have focused on a stiff, black leather dress shoe (usually with its Lego-like lug sole, now a clear status symbol alongside the triangular logo), this season’s shoes are decidedly softer, more comfortable and less structured. It could just be the trend cycle — or perhaps Prada is ready to help sneaker fans find an easier entry point into dress shoes again.
