Did Frank Ocean just teach us what Prada stands for?
Frank Ocean can do a lot of things. He can throw parties, he can shoot photos for Vogue, he can headline Coachella, and you know what else? Frank Ocean can spell “Prada.” He’s made sure everyone is aware by listing out each the luxury Italian brand’s name in a new ad posted to their campaign. But he’s not just spelling! In a second video, he’s also given “Prada” a new meaning as an acronym: “Programming Rhythms And Dancing Again.” Clever.
The reason for all this wordplay? Ocean is one of the new faces of Prada, alongside actor Austin Butler and director Nicolas Winding Refn for the brand’s Spring/Summer 2020 menswear collection. In a statement posted to their website, Prada delves into why they had Ocean, Butler, and Refn reimagine the meaning of their iconoclastic brand.
“In a time during which offering a simplified definition of oneself seems a universal ambition, Prada enjoys demonstrating the opposite,” the statement reads. “That is, indeed, more Prada.”
Ocean, Refn, and Butler were all chosen because of their ability to “re-address and realign perceptions, reframing the self and their own invention.” According to Prada, these men are a “trinity of contemporary creatives, pivotal cultural personalities of now and archetypes of the hyper fragmented mindset of tomorrow. Each embodies a single identity of the Prada man, one aspect, one outlook, multiplied by each image, each definition.”
In the first clip, we never get to see Ocean’s face (sad), but we do get to watch him wear an excellent pair of slightly platformed loafers, as morsels of an entire Prada fit. But in the second video, we’re treated to his entire form, modeling various arrangements of fine Italian menswear.
Ocean is certainly familiar with the Prada brand. His minimal, all-black Met Gala look was entirely Prada (with a dash of custom Balmain) and in his W Magazine shoot from late last year, he made quite a case for himself as brand ambassador.
To see the full Prada SS 2020 campaign, see the full gallery of photos here.
