Prada
Fratelli Prada continues to manufacture leather goods. Additionally, Prada licensed a cosmetics line with Estée Lauder and also introduced a home furnishings collection in 1999. Prada further expanded through acquisitions, buying stakes in Church & Co., a UK footwear manufacturer, as well as in designer brands Helmut Lang, Jil Sander, Gucci. Building a relationship with LVMH, Prada then sold its Gucci stake to the French luxury giant and formed an alliance to acquire Fendi in 1999. Further moves included a partnership with Azzedine Alaïa, buying Carshoe, selling its Fendi stake back to LVMH, and postponing an initial public offering originally planned for early 2001.
The Prada Empire grew in size and scope due in part to the growing popularity of the Miu Miu range. The first Miu Miu stores, in Paris and Milan, were joined by another in New York's SoHo in 1996, while new Prada stores opened in Beverly Hills, New York, San Francisco, and Paris. Miuccia Prada’s designs quickly became known for quietly exuding "timelessness," "confidence," "quality, luxury, and style," according to Entertainment Weekly. Prada's fascination with different materials, processes, technologies, and eras influenced her designs. In December 2001, Prada celebrated the opening of its Soho store, with celebrity guests.
Miuccia Prada was named Footwear News Footwear Designer of the Year, 1996; she was also recognized with the Special Achievement Award, National Italian American Foundation, 2000; Patrizio Bertelli, her husband and partner was given the Pitti Immagine Uomo Award, in 2001.
