Miu Miu Literary Club to Discuss Girlhood, Sexuality, Love With Second Edition
- Miuccia Prada's Miu Miu brand is promoting literature through its Miu Miu Literary Club initiative, focusing on girlhood, love, and sex education through the work of Simone de Beauvoir and Fumiko Enchi.
MILAN— Miuccia Prada's ties with culture hark back to her youth and have defined her fashion output throughout her career.
In a 2020 digitally streamed conversation with her co-creative director Raf Simons on the heels of the first Prada co-created collection, she famously invited youngsters in the digital audience to "read literature," as well as enjoy art and movies. "Study, study, study," she said back then.
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Hence it comes as no surprise that the Miu Miu brand has been focusing on promoting literature with its Miu Miu Literary Club initiative, first unveiled last year.
The two-day event is back at Milan Design Week with its second iteration on Wednesday and Thursday under the direction of Prada herself.
After debuting the concept in 2024 with "Writing Life," Miu Miu titled the second edition "A Women's Education" exploring girlhood, love and sex education through the work of French existentialist philosopher and writer Simone de Beauvoir, and Fumiko Enchi, the pen name for Fumi Ueda, one of the most prominent female authors of the Shöwa era in Japan.
"For the second edition of the Miu Miu Literary Club we have chosen the work of two literary masters, Simone de Beauvoir and Fumiko Enchi: with their novels 'The Inseparables' and 'The Waiting Years' they have been able to challenge stereotypes that are still very present in our culture nowadays," Prada said. "By bringing these themes at the heart of the conversations, we try to raise awareness on the issue of women's education today. How do we teach young girls concepts as self-determination? How do we teach them to become the independent women of the future?" she asked.
Opening Wednesday at the Circolo Filologico, Milan's oldest cultural association, the event is conceived as a literary club with panel discussions, reading sessions, live music performances and as a culturally rich retreat from the frenzied pace of design week. It evokes the spirit of literary salons and artist collectives of yore.
Championing each day a landmark book from each of the two writers, Miu Miu selected the 1954 novel "The Inseparables" by the French existentialist de Beauvoir to tackle "The Power of Girlhood," starting from the book's feminist thinking, which sparked outrage at the time of its writing. The book was eventually published almost seven decades later in 2020.
The Miu Miu Literary Club's second day agenda is titled "About Love, Sex and Desire" moving from the 1957 novel "The Waiting Years" by Enchi, an explicit account of women's sexuality.
The Miu Miu Literary Club's 2025 edition is titled A Woman's Education.
Wrapped in special Miu Miu packaging, the titles selected for the event will be available at the Circolo Filologico.
The two-day event is to be animated by panel conversations on the topics triggered by books' readings, which were curated by Olga Campofreda, a writer and researcher of Italian culture, language and literature.
Panelists include French American author Lauren Elkin, also the official translator of de Beauvoir's "The Inseparables"; Indian-born novelist and short story writer Geetanjali Shree, the winner of the 2022 International Booker Prize for "Tomb of Sand"; Italian novelist Veronica Raimo; Nicola Dinan, the author of "Disappoint Me," which won the Polari Prize; Irish writer Naoise Dolan, and novelist Sarah Manguso.
All panels are moderated by writer and curator Lou Stoppard and by poet, model and activist Kai-Isaiah Jamal.
Last year's inaugural Miu Miu Literary Club spotlighted the work of the late Italian writers and poets Sibilla Aleramo and Alba de Céspedes. Conversations explored women's position in society, from motherhood to work.
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