Hello, I'm Carl Raymond, the host of the Gilded Gentleman History podcast where every two weeks we journey into worlds

light and dark in history's most glittering eras.

Just the name Prada evokes a modern elegance, a sense of the au coron, the idea of being

connected to the innermost makers of style and contemporary culture.

Yet, beginning with the brand sense of revolution with the launch of its trademark Nylon's

signature backpack in the early 80s, Prada has always carried the aura of the unexpected, of pushing

traditional limits, and, for those who wear

Prada, a sense of power and authority which unquestionably the greatest fashion can bring.

The Prada brand has expanded into the world of popular culture as well, as we've seen with

the best-selling book, The Devil Wares Prada and its major motion

picture adaptation and sequel, The Brand New, The Devil Wares Prada, 2.

The story of the brand itself is as fascinating as some of those who have chosen it as their

signature look. Prada began at the height of Europe's Bel-Epoch in the early years of the 20th century,

and after remaining consistent yet relatively quiet for decades,

it burst onto the international fashion scene in the 1970s and 80s,

due to the innovations and expansions led by Miyuchia Prada, the granddaughter of the

original founder.

Joining me today is fashion and textile historian Natalie Nudel to trace the long history

of Prada and to focus us on just how it became the classic international fashion brand it remains today.

Natalie Nudel is a fashion and textile historian with a research focus on the 20th century

American fashion industry. She is an adjunct assistant professor in the history of art

department at the Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY. Natalie in the History of Art Department at the Fashion Institute of

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