Text by Lindsey Kesel
Images courtesy of Prada
Feeding a penchant for the unconventional, Prada once again flexes its flair for staging immersive launches that tickle the senses with the debut of a new immersive experience. Highlighting exclusive looks from the label’s Spring/Summer 2022 capsule, the Prada Tropico pop up makes appearances at key Prada outlets around the globe as summer fashion takes flight and finds an enjoyable cruising altitude.
Part of a series that includes stateside stops in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami, Prada Tropico breezes through Prada Kālakāua, the label’s Waikīkī flagship boutique, this summer. The Italian luxury brand’s joy-inciting expression of summer as told through a lemonade-cool, stripe-dominated pop motif is fresh and fantastical. This “original landscape inspired by the colours and atmospheres of striking distant lands” presents an audacious color palette and tropic-inspired twists on cosmopolitan classics.
Bold, contrasting colors and textures define the playful Prada Tropico experience. The antithesis of subdued, the scene instantly evokes warm latitudes. A hypnotic array of signature ivory and green stripes stretch from floor to ceiling and dart across giant columns, display stages, and window dressings, teasing the equally vivacious aesthetic of the collection. Clever lightplay energizes the space and kicks the vibrance volume up to a “10.” A neon Prada logo hovers above the scene—the cherry on top of a summer style sundae.
Showcasing the label’s innate talent for infusing fashion-forward flavor, at its core, Prada Tropico’s creative coming out party is a celebration of opposites. The linear, composed façade mirrors refinement, juxtaposed with a striking centerpiece imbued with the wildness of nature—a giant green metal tree. A colorful mélange of Prada bucket hats in raffia, nylon, leather, and terrycloth adorn the tree’s slender, aimless branches, echoing the magic of a tropical forest. Dotting the tableau, clothing and accessories crafted from a spectrum of materials invite mixing and matching. Lively vertical and horizontal stripes mingle with green, white, black, blue, red, yellow, and orange solids—evoking a mood that’s at once uptown and island, masculine and feminine, chaos and calm.
More transcendent than trendy, the collection on view features warm-weather designs curated from SS22 for a distinctively enchanting summer wardrobe that eclipses seasonal limitations. Beachy-cool is paired with panache, creating styles and shades that travel well, from poolside soirée to sunset sail to late-night social event. Flowy silk pajama-style sets and terry-effect knitwear in stripes and solids stir thoughts of palm frond-shaded cat naps. The ultra-versatile mini, calf-length, and full-length skirts destined for endless occasions from anticipated to impromptu epitomize elegance. Casual men’s shirts and shorts in bold and natural hues harness effortless style and embrace lead actor energy.
Not one to overlook the crowing role of footwear, Prada goes functional-fabulous with sassy, thick-soled foam rubber sandals in five colors (including begonia pink!)—quite possibly the most comfortable conversation pieces you’ll don this summer. To polish the vacation vibes ensemble, the Prada Tropico pop-up offers select handbags and totes—Brique and Re-Edition among them—in a variety of swoon-worthy shades in nylon, Saffiano leather, canvas, raffia, and hemp. Much to the delight of Pradaphiles everywhere, the superstar Prada Triangle Bag gets a special raffia makeover and comes in citron green plus several other dreamy colors.
Experience the embodiment of island couture inside the Prada Tropico pop up, June 17 through July 31, 2022, hosted by Prada Kālakāua, 2174 Kālakāua Avenue in Honolulu.
