Miu Miu

Watch out, sister. Initially positioned as an accessories-rich “anti-fashion” line to Prada when it was launched in 1993, Miu Miu has been progressively and aggressively repositioned as a stand-alone brand. In 2006, the label’s show location was moved from Milan to Paris, to further emphasize its independence.Miuccia Prada, whose nickname is Miu Miu, has been called “the master of the look of not-quite-right” by The New York Times, and both of her lines appeal to women who aren’t afraid to be a bit different. The Miu Miu brand is skewed somewhat younger than the powerhouse Prada label, appealing to 20-somethings who can get away with wearing, say, cerise patent leather platforms with carved-wood soles to work. A revolving cast of slightly edgy actresses—from bad-girl Lindsay Lohan to the unconventionally chic indie darling Chloë Sevigny—has been recruited for the ad campaigns to drive home the message of quirkiness.By 2007, Miu Miu’s annual sales of womenswear had risen to $297 million, and as it grew in moneymaking might so it grew in sophistication. The standout Fall 2009 collection—notable for bare backs, fur tippets, and exposed bras—was a study in soigné sensuality that said “I am woman, with no need to roar.”The distinctions between Prada and Miu Miu are more than skin-deep. Their designer’s approach is different depending on which line she’s focusing on. “When I am working on Miu Miu,” Prada told Women’s Wear Daily, “[it] has to come immediately, instinctively, spontaneously, with whatever is available at the moment. If I think three times, I stop. . . . Anything avant-garde, twisted, or challenging becomes part of my Miu Miu vision. In this sense there is a bit more room for liberty.”