Federico Pompignoli: Creative Synergy with PRADA

Federico Pompignoli: Creative Synergy with PRADA
Interview with Federico Pompignoli by Candelaria Caceres, Dijana Modric and Agnieszka Wiecha

Federico Pompignoli, a renowned architect, has collaborated with some of the world's most influential brands and worked for many years at OMA. In a recent interview we did after his special Lecture at YACademy’s course in Architecture for Fashion, Pompignoli shared insights about his collaboration with Prada, one of the most iconic and demanding fashion houses in the market. Through his narrative, it becomes evident how this relationship with the brand has been both a challenge and a constant source of inspiration.

The bond between Pompignoli and Prada transcends the typical client-architect dynamic. To Pompignoli, Prada isn't merely a standard client; it's a creative collaborator. This perspective arises from Prada's deep involvement in each project, marked by their stringent standards, intellect, and prompt responsiveness. Prada meticulously evaluates every proposal, blending rationality and intuition to guide decisions in their creative process. While freedom is cherished, it's within well-defined boundaries, ensuring that the final outcome mirrors the brand's essence. Prada values not only the end product but also the creative journey, esteeming the process as much as the outcome. This collaborative ethos encourages comprehensive exploration of ideas, culminating in exceptional products reflecting the shared vision between Pompignoli and Prada.

The collaboration between OMA and Prada began when Prada, recognizing the imperative to expand its luxury brand and inaugurate a new retail campaign, sought out innovative architectural studios to lead their creative vision. Among these studios were Herzog & de Meuron, Foster and Partners, and OMA. OMA, specifically chosen by Prada to spearhead their rebranding efforts, was tasked with designing new flagship stores, concept spaces, and revamping their online presence. The objective was to forge a fresh aesthetic, defying traditional luxury norms with bold, captivating, and enigmatic designs. This necessitated embracing concepts such as contrast and unpredictability, as exemplified by OMA's Transformer project for EXPO. Their collaboration underscores Prada's adventurous spirit and search for originality and innovation with OMA's ethos of experimentation and research-based approach to rethinking different programming.

The first project in their collaboration was the store Prada Epicenter in New York City. As the idea from the research on a luxury shop and marketing was to show very few garments in the store, the space itself had more space for other activities. The shop was no longer just a shop but could host different events. Accepting other scenarios inside their spaces, Prada shows an attitude that goes beyond the selling component of the brand. Another example of mixing and experimenting with space and program was the project Fondazione Prada – a museum created by combining different architectural typologies of museums with the idea of breaking the boundary between in and out. The complex of buildings that can host different types of events acts as a small city of cultural and artistic activities.

These examples highlight how the intense quest for originality in fashion influences and challenges architecture to produce advanced projects and reassess established norms. In this collaboration, the two entities mutually discovered each other, emerging as pioneers at the forefront of the fashion-architecture nexus.