Posted By: Sorbet
Made from a wooden mold and spazzolato calf skin, this season Prada gives the Cleo bag its biggest shape-shift yet, plus an animal-print twist.
Courtesy of Prada
Conceived in 1999 and shaped over a special wooden mold, the Cleo joined the Prada collection the following year, first with a decorative buckle, then as a flap version marked by the enameled triangle logo. The secret sauce? Spazzolato, a calfskin generally reserved for footwear, which gives that sloping base its architectural backbone.
Courtesy of Prada
Courtesy of Prada
Fast forward to 2020, when the archive reopened and the Cleo resurfaced for Prada’s Spring/Summer 2021 Multiple Views show, the first bag from the Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons partnership. Then came the celebrity roll call. Hailey Bieber stepped out in a bright yellow flap, while Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, and Margot Robbie all toted black versions. Hunter Schafer and Shay Mitchell joined the fan club. Along the way, the Cleo has appeared in patent leather, brushed leather, and a crystal-covered satin.
Courtesy of Prada
Then came the celeb roll call. Hailey Bieber stepped out in a bright yellow flap, while Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, and Margot Robbie all toted black versions before Hunter Schafer and Greta Gerwig joined the fan club. Along the way, the Cleo has appeared in patent leather, brushed leather, and a crystal-covered satin that is basically red carpet in back form. Most recently, Sadie Sink is seen handling the Cleo in Prada’s latest Winter campaign.
Courtesy of Prada
Now comes its biggest shapeshift yet. The proportions are reworked so it’s lower and more elongated at the sides, moving towards a rectilinear geometry that Prada says feels “more overtly feminine.” The sloping profile and rounded construction stay put, because some things just shouldn’t be tampered with. Then there’s the animal-printed variation, which lets Cleo show a wilder side.
Born in ’99, Cleo’s still setting the pace, and we can’t wait to see what Cleo gets up to at 28.
Courtesy of Prada
END OF STORY
