Mario Prada family members from entering into his company. Mario's son harboured no interest in the business, so it was Mario's daughter Luisa Prada who took the helm of Prada as his successor and ran it for almost twenty years. Her own daughter, Miuccia Prada, joined the company in 1970, eventually taking over for her mother in 1978. Mario Prada Mario Prada (born in Milan; died in 1958) was the founder and original designer of the fashion label Prada, a company specializing in many high fashion goods for men and women, including shoes, handbags, luggage, and leather goods. Prada was founded in
Miuccia Prada Helmut Lang, Jil Sander, and Azzedine Alaïa. The company has expanded into leather goods, shoes, fragrances, and apparel for both men and women. She is now the co-CEO for Prada, together with her husband. In 2010, she designed costumes for the Verdi opera "Attila" at the New York City Metropolitan Opera House. She eschews merging high art with fashion, saying "Art is for expressing ideas and for expressing a vision. My job is to sell." In 1995, 1996, and 1998, she received the VH1 Fashion Award for Womenswear Designer of the Year. In 2004, she is honored by the CFDA