Prada by the book

Bags of style

Stand out with style

All the writers were required to write in their native languages and the manuscripts were translated into English and Italian in the final stage.

Jury members were formed by the staff of French publishing house Feltrinelli Editore. The language specialists at the publisher first reviewed all the entries in their original language. The outstanding works were then selected and translated into English and Italian.

"The final result came out to be five winners, as all of the five stories represent different angles of perspective. The winning list is not ranked by the traditional 'winner, runner-up' approach, as each story is the best in its own terms," Cantino says.

Cantino says the writing competition was a chance to show the label is about more than just fashion.

"It is apparent that Mrs Prada feels that she has the responsibility to communicate the cultural aspect of fashion that fashion, besides being trendy, can be interesting. To us, fashion can be more than fashion. Prada is recognized as an intellectual house in the industry, and we would like to pass the intelligent and cultural message through our operations like the Prada Journal project," Cantino says.

Now, the five stories, both in their original languages and English, are collected in a digital anthology, Views on the World, the first Prada Journal. It is now available on the company's official website.

According to Prada, the writing contest will continue, but further details are yet to be confirmed.

One thing is certain: The theme of the contest will still be relevant to the optical lens and, of course, reading.