>> The clever folks at Prada know how to spot a good viral-in-the-making collaboration. They've chosen well by teaming up with Iranian-born, Paris-based graphic artist Vahram Muratyan to present their new project Prada Parallel Universes, a series of illustrated animated gifs that will be unveiled on Vahram Muratyan's site, across the blogosphere with myself happy to be one of the between-universe messengers, and on Prada.com eventually. You'll probably all know Muratyan from his unstoppably popular blog Paris vs. New York, where characteristics of each city are brought to life and pitted against each other. I think I've Tumblr-ed one too many of his little comparison. I especially loved the London vs. New York series he did for Nowness.
Prada Parallel Universe is a re-imagined virtual road paved with Prada's S/S 12 mens and womens accessories, fragmented and abstracted with Muratyan's distinctive and succinct style. These GIFs feel very much in line with Prada's vaguely lo-fi and awkward approach towards digital output what with their PDF animated GIFs out there in the world alongside their Real Fantasies PDF downloads and calling their films "motionbooks". Moreover, you have to commend Prada for eking out a collection that has had such indelible impact on the season, by picking up on the memorable accessories (the Dixie sunglasses, the men's Rocket shoes, the and the Pyramide bag) and reworking them into Muratyan's context.
I've been given a surreal vision of a game of golf taking place on the bridge of a pair of Prada Teddy sunnies. Bryan Boy, Anna Dello Russo, Kate Loves Me, A Shaded View on Fashion and Know Wear will be unveiling their universe visions over the next few days and you can but in the meantime, Prada Parallel Universes begins with Universe 0 and the rapid motion of the lipstick tail light wedge...
