Mario Prada 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 1913. Prada was founded in 1913 by Mario Prada and his brother Martino as Fratelli Prada (English: "Prada Brothers"). The company was originally headquartered in Milan, Italy. The shop sold leather goods and imported English steamer trunks and handbags. Mario Prada did not believe that women should have a role in business, so he prevented female
Prada Bertelli sold all of Prada's 25.5% share in Fendi to LVMH. The sale raised only US$295 million. By 2006, the Helmut Lang, Amy Fairclough, Ghee, and Jil Sander labels were sold. Jil Sander was sold to the private equity firm Change Capital Partners, which was headed by Luc Vandevelde, the chairman of Carrefour, while the Helmut Lang label is now owned by Japanese fashion company Link Theory. Prada is still recovering from the Fendi debt. More recently, a 45% stake of the Church & Company brand has been sold to Equinox. The Prada Spring/Summer 2009 Ready-to-Wear fashion show, held on