Dezeen Magazine

AMO creates blue-lit runway in Shanghai's Silo Hall for Prada menswear show

A huge converted grain silo in Shanghai was the setting for Prada's 2020 Spring Summer menswear show, designed by AMO as a hall of futuristic neon lights.

The show took place on 6 June at Silo Hall, Asia's largest silo building. A powerful reminder of Shanghai's industrial heritage, the building provided an appropriate backdrop for Prada's latest mens collection, described by the Italian fashion house as "a power of energy, provocation and freedom".

AMO, the research arm of Dutch firm OMA, transformed the industrial interior of the 80,000-tonne warehouse into an "illuminated vista" of bright blue lights.

The show took place in a converted grain silo building in Shanghai

A linear runway intersected the longitudinal axis of the monumental, labyrinth-like space, while guests were arranged in the central nave of the building in an amphitheater of circular seats that mirrored the shape of the silos.

Glowing neon lights complemented the hall's raw, industrial character and highlighted the geometry of the space, creating a "glowing enfilade" down the centre of the chamber.

A linear runway intersected the longitudinal axis of the silo areas

"Mindful of its history, at intervals, the installation of the 2020 Spring Summer Prada Men’s show and events is disrupted by reminders of roughness and industry, embedded in the fabric of the building," said the brand.

"These retain the original character of the building, and the echoes of a past," it added.

Blue lights complemented the hall's raw, industrial character

The words "I am no longer an artist; I have become a work of art" and "I feel myself a god" were played out on a voiceover as models walked along an expansive runway dressed in oversized striped shirts, double-breasted blazers and colour-block windbreakers.

Colourful backpacks and knee-length shorts added a boyish aesthetic to the Optimistic Rhythm collection, which had retro-futurist overtones that could be seen on jackets and tees featuring vibrantly coloured prints of cassette tapes and video recorders.

The lights highlighted the geometry of the space

This is the first time Prada has strayed from its Milanese stomping grounds –it typically presents its collections in the Fondazione Prada or its own Via Fogazzaro space in Milan.

The special Chinese location was chosen to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the twinning of the cities of Milan and Shanghai.

After the show, guests were invited to the seventh floor of Minsheng Wharf, where various dance, music, light and sound installations were taking place across multiple stages for a one-night-only takeover.

Models walked the runway in oversized striped shirts and double-breasted blazers

Performers in mirror-covered costumes and large-scale installations covered in neon lights continued the catwalk aesthetic into the afterparty spaces.

Booths upholstered in black and acid green eco-leather ran along the perimeter of a lounge bar for the after-show dinner, while a black lacquer recyclable curtain wrapped around the venue, which was outlined by a series of neon lights spanning the room.

Other looks included colour-block windbreakers

The longtime pairing between Prada and OMA and AMO grew out of a friendship between founders Miuccia Prada and Rem Koolhaas. AMO always designs sets for Prada shows.

This year's show saw AMO continue the neon trend from last year's catwalk design, which featured a grid that marked out spaces for guests sitting on inflatable Verner Panton stools, illuminated by strips of pink neon lights.

Photography is by Orange Image Shanghai, courtesy of OMA.