Prada [IG] releases its ‘Prada Days of Summer 2025 Campaign’ lensed by Oliver Hadlee Pearch [IG] with creative direction by Ferdinando Verderi and designers Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons.

Models and talents include Hunter Schafer, Julia Nobis, Kendall Jenner, Lina Zhang, Troye Sivan, Cirillo, Gideon Adeniyi, Hanna Leszek, Liu Quinzheng, Melinda Kiss, Nikita Gnetnev, Noor Khan and Yuliana Perez. / Hair by Patti Bussa; makeup by Rocco Santamorena

Adrift in Calm Waters

Prada is known for being one of fashion world’s most intellectual brands.

Pearch’s calm waters are distinctive in the summer campaign images. Of course, AOC turns to the lessons of history to consider not only the waters, but also the faces of the campaign traveling in small boats.

It reminds me of an extraordinary trip sailing in the Ionian sea — not in a mega yacht — but four of us sailing in a small boat. I returned to America a different person — and that small boat rocking at night had three of us [my fiancé slept] giving up sleep to talk each night until dawn.

A Lesson from Icarus for Elon Musk

In the Greek myth Icarus likely saw his reflection in the calm waters of the sea — as he plunged to his death. Ignoring the advice of Daedalus that he not fly too close to the sun — or his wings would become dysfunctional as the wax holding them together melted — Icarus could not resist separating himself from the rest of humanity as a sun god.

And so he plunged to earth and likely saw his reflection in the calm waters that would soon consume him and swallow him in death.

A modern-day example would be Elon Musk’s plunge of not only Tesla’s stock price, but also the the 71% decline in first quarter profits reported yesterday.

Musk has blamed people like me for supporting waste and fraudalent taxpayer dollars — probably being a looter of the federal treasury myself — and not understanding the brilliance of Musk’s contributions to modern society.

Calm Seas and Ancient Wisdom

Calm seas are frequently depicted as a metaphor for safety, peace, and stability. They provide a sharp contrast to their tempestuous counterparts, which represent chaos, danger, and unpredictability.

For seafaring cultures, the sea was not only a means of livelihood but also a path to unknown worlds. Sailors and early-civilization boat rowers did not lead boring lives, as Musk probably believes. The ancients just had wisdom and respect for nature, other humans and the larger world they could not control.

This quiet wisdom of mythology is deeply embedded in the Prada brand for decades. And for good reason.

Egyptian myths also embrace this symbolism, where the calm seas are depicted as a cosmic balance, reflecting the orderly balance of the universe maintained by gods like Ra and Ma’at. Meanwhile, in Norse legends, a calm sea could symbolize the fleeting moments of peace in the perpetual battle between order and chaos.

These narratives emphasize the reverence ancient civilizations held for the sea and its vast, unfathomable power, defining calm waters as a precious respite from the turmoil, a space for reflection, regeneration, and the latent promise of adventure and discovery.

The Taoist principle of "wu wei," or effortless action, suggests that individuals should move through life like a calm sea; flowing, adaptable, and at ease with the nature of things. In Buddhism, a tranquil mind is a fundamental aspect of achieving enlightenment, where meditation practices are central to calming the waters of thought to see reality clearly without distortion.