Prada Brings Prada Extends To Tokyo

A series of live events focused on and designed for creatives in different hubs around the world, Prada Extends - now came to Tokyo, after the concept launched in London in November 2021 - interconnected like-minded figures, encapsulating the identity of each locale and its creative community.

As part of the ‘The Sound Of Prada’ experience - with an emphasis on music as a means of bringing people together - the concept of Prada Extends is created with and curated by British-born, Canadian-raised electronic musician Richie Hawtin aka Plastikman, also a Prada collaborator with his recent original soundtracks for the brand’s fashion shows. Hawtin has a deep history with Japanese music and culture – a touring performer for over 25 years, and a fully-trained Sake Sommelier, and recipient of the coveted Sake Samurai award by the Sake Samurai Association, a council for the Japan Sake Brewers organisation.

A new expansion of the idea, this Prada Extends edition – on July 21 - comprised a duo of events: a conversation and a celebration.

The first, staged in Prada Miyashita Park store in the Shibuya district of Tokyo consisted of a talk on music and current topics between Richie Hawtin and Naohiro Ukawa - a multi-hyphenate talent behind behind the Tokyo-based digital live-streaming studio Dommune - a brand which exists at the intersection of live digital technology and Tokyo’s nightlife scene.

Following this intimate discussion, an event at Terrada - a centre for art and music, including one of the largest gallery complexes in Japan - featured music and visual performers curated by Hawtin, including his own performance. The line-up included a live show from South Korean producer, beat maker and artist Lionclad; Tokyo-based artist machìna; and the Japanese electronic musician and producer Yuri Urano. Each artist was paired with a Japanese-based visual artist: bringing Richie Hawtin with Kaoru Tanaka / Performed by Manami Sakamoto; Lionclad with Ken-ichi Kawamura; machìna with Shohei Fujimoto; and Yuri Urano with Manami Sakamoto.

Prada Extends Tokyo was a celebration of Japanese culture, of music, of creative communities that connect figures around the world.

‘Prada Extends has been created out of a desire from Prada and I to unite different creative cultures using design and aesthetics as the central focus. At our first event in London we featured a diverse range of musicians and experienced an incredible communal spirit between the icons of fashion, film and design who attended.

Prada Extends series builds upon the dialogue I had with Miuccia and Raf while I composed the soundtracks to the Prada shows during the pandemic and continues to explore a strong symbiotic relationship between fashion and electronic music. The second event taking place in Tokyo is personally very exciting for me as I’ve been inspired for decades by the culture and creative community of Japan - be that in music, fashion, art or sake. Welcoming Prada Extends to Tokyo feels very relevant due to a strong Japanese desire to appreciate and consider aesthetics on every level,’ said Richie Hawtin.