Does Prada Produce Their Own Products? (Explained)

As one of the world’s leading brands in the luxury fashion industry, Prada is known to sell extremely high-quality products.

Its products, especially the bags and leather goods, are known to last for decades and can even be passed down from generation to generation when they are well taken care of.

Does Prada produce their products? Or do they solely rely on third-party companies or manufacturers? Let’s find out!

Does Prada Manufacture Their Own Products?

Prada manufactures its own products – or most of them- including all clothes, shoes, bags, and leather goods. For other accessories and novelty items, Prada outsources the production to third-party companies.

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Where Exactly Are Prada’s Products Made?

Prada originated in Milan, Italy, where the first products were made. It’s also where the first ever Prada store opened.

Currently, Prada owns 21 production sites where the products are made.

These production sites are mostly located in different parts of Italy, with three located in other countries.

Here is the list of Prada’s production sites, grouped by the type of products that these sites manufacture:

Production sites for Footwear:

Buresta in Arezzo
Civitanova Marche in Macerata
Dolo in Venice
Levane in Arezzo
Montegranaro in Fermo
San Giovanni Valdarno in Arezzo

Production sites for Clothes:

Ancona
Città di Castello
Fucecchio in Florence
Montone in Perugia
Torgiano in Perugia

As you can see in the information above, there are multiple production sites in Arezzo, which is part of the Tuscany region in Italy.

Plus, there are production sites in the major Italian cities, such as Venice and Milan, except for Rome.

Prada established these production sites to harmonize the standard processes when manufacturing their products. This is to achieve consistency in terms of quality.

It is also a way to maintain the artisanal know-how of creating these products while using cutting-edge and modern technology.

These production sites also work with external suppliers, all selected based on strict parameters. This is to ensure that the products are of excellent quality while focusing on working conditions.

When the production sites are working with external suppliers, materials and prototypes are provided by Prada. Every stage of the production process is also closely monitored. This is to ensure high-quality output that conforms with Prada’s standards.

Does Prada Own the Materials They Use?

Apart from the production process, the raw materials used are another factor that’s extremely important to ensure consistency and excellent product quality.

Technically, Prada does not own the raw materials used, but these raw materials are exclusively made for Prada by other companies.

The raw materials used for production follow meticulous specifications to maintain the brand’s identity throughout its different lines of products.

Even though Prada does not own the raw materials, the brand has filed lots of trademarks and registered patents for distinctive features of the products.

Here are the product features that Prada has registered trademarks for:

the Prada logos and word markings
the patterns used in its fabrics
the shoe boxes
the shape of the distinctive shoes
the identifying markings used on the shoes

Prada has also patented certain details of its products, such as the handles on the bags.

Another thing that Prada has patented is Saffiano leather, including the technique to create it. This leather is one of the highest-quality types of leather out there.

It is characterized by a cross-hatch pattern that treats the material with a special stamping machine. It is then further treated with wax to make it water-resistant, scratch-resistant, and extremely durable.

Mario Prada invented Saffiano leather. He patented the material, which has been used exclusively by Prada for decades.

Only recently did other brands like Coach, Michael Kors, and Tory Burch use this type of leather.

Does Prada’s Production Partners Also Manufacture For Other Brands?

While Prada has its production sites all over Italy, it also has production partners for its other products, such as accessories and novelty items. These production partners are third-party companies that deliver excellent quality in their respective industries.

Prada’s production partners also manufacture products for other brands.

Here is a list of Prada’s production partners:

Luxottica Group

A world leader in the eyewear industry, Luxottica is an Italian company that manufactures all sunglasses and eyeglasses for Prada and its sister brand Miu Miu.

Luxottica also manufactures eyewear for Ray-Ban, Oakley, Versace, Ralph Lauren, Coach, Chanel, Burberry, and many other brands.

L’Oréal

While this company is primarily known for creating and selling cosmetics, L’Oréal is also a world-leading manufacturer of perfumes.

After Prada ended its partnership with Puig Beauty & Fashion Group in 2018, it named L’Oréal its next fragrance license holder and production partner.

Besides Prada, L’Oréal also manufactures perfumes, skin care products, and cosmetics for brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Kiehl’s, Urban Decay, and Ralph Lauren.

Faction Skis

Also known as The Faction Collective, this company manufactures skis, snowboards, poles, and other skiing-related products. This company is also the production partner of Prada for its snowboards, skis, and technical apparel and gear under the Linea Rossa collection.

Born in the Swiss Alps and headquartered in Switzerland, Faction Skis partnered with other brands to make ski-related products.

Does Prada Have International Manufacturers?

At this point, we all know that Prada has production sites for its bags, shoes, and clothes, plus a few production partners for its other products.

Prada does have international manufacturers, as 3 of its 21 production sites are located outside of Italy.

One of these production sites is located in Northampton, UK. The second one is located in Limoges, France, and the third one is in Sibiu, Romania.

Prada acquired the Northampton production site in the UK upon acquiring the shoe brand Church’s. This site started as a 6-story building and played a key role in the history of British shoemaking.

The site in France is a historic French tannery called Tannerie Limoges, established 70 years ago. It was in 2014 when Prada acquired this establishment and turned it into one of its production sites.

The Sibiu site in Romania is the most recent addition to Prada’s production sites. It was in February 2022 when Prada became the sole owner of the Hipic Prod Impex shoe factory in Sibiu, Romania, and then turned it into one of its production sites for leather goods.