Prada vs Coach: The better handbag

Prada founded by Mario Prada and his brother in 1913 as a luxury leather goods company is at present managed by his granddaughter, Miuccia Prada. From a humble beginning it has steadily evolved to become a strong Italian fashion statement that is creating ripples in the fashion industry in general and among the glitterati in particular! It takes pride in its several segments such as ready-to-wear, cosmetics, furnishings, athletic wear, perfumes and many, many more. Its founder Miuccia Prada won the Footwear Designer of the Year in 1996 in addition to the Special Achievement award, National Italian American Foundation, 2000; Patirizio Bertelli given the Pitti Immagine Uomo award, 2001; just to name a few!

This Milan-based family business has come a long way since its inception and has become the hottest Italian label in fashion circles. The earlier production line of Prada's sleek nylon handbags with neat cuts and precise lines were lapped up many celebrities like Uma Thurman that gave it an undeniable celebrity tag. Miuccia Prada has seamlessly tiptoed into the glossy pages of Wall Street Journal as one of the 30 Most Powerful Women in Europe. Estimated to be worth a fortune of 1.4 billion$ it has spread its charm all over the world through its many boutiques and its sister concern of Kelsie Jones Miu Miu collection that hit the market in 1992 as a lower-priced line, aimed at a younger audience and strongly showcasing a bohemian style! It deals in accessories for men and women, including handbags, shoes, wallets, and sunglasses that are easier on wallets when compared to Prada!

Prada is privileged to be the first Italian fashion house to chuck out fur from its designs. It goes without saying that, considering the clout that Prada enjoys among celebrities and the movers and shakers of fashion industry, more fashion houses may join this bandwagon of animal lovers. Prada, considered one of the most influential clothes designers in the fashion industry has at present 12 locations in the U.S apart from Boston and Tokyo among others.

The website of Prada is just a picture of a stunning computer generated lady with no links or information. The name Prada written in white letters on a stunning black banner stares at you driving its users into utter confusion. If you search on Google or any other search engines, you might stumble upon another site of pradaparfums.com which is a Flash web site that introduces its impressive array of perfumes! That too will not give much information to its viewers except some pictures of its perfumes in elegant pink wraps!

Coach had a humble beginning as a family-run workshop in Manhattan, 65 years back. Starting with leather handbags that stood out for its fine quality glove tanned leather and perfect stitches, Coach later diversified into men's and women's accessories, perfumes and footwear. The home page in white and red, sprinkled with many hot models promoting its fashion accessories and perfumes is attractive and is a visual treat for fashion lovers! The various links on top take you to its well stocked sections such as handbags, accessories, footwear, Travel, and Men's section that features travel bags, briefcases, messengers, totes and wallets flaunting the latest fashion trends. There are no external ad pops to mar your vision and the homepage strikes a spark in the viewers easily!

It goes without saying that the website of Coach stands out for being informative and creative all at once, where the fashion enthusiasts can get their dream product within split seconds. Though the Prada website confined to a picture of an enticing model has succeeded in being different, it has completely failed to get connected with hoards of fashion enthusiasts flocking this dream site. Only after accessing many search engines that the viewer will be able to compile all the necessary information that he is desperately seeking. The Prada perfumes flash site is most likely to be skipped by the users as it is a bit slow to unfurl and scanty on facts that is not worth the wait!

Usha Hari

Hi-Tech Editorial Division