Prada Frames 2025 Edition: In Transit – A Reflection on Infrastructure, Design, and the Movement of People and Ideas

Prada Frames has always been a unique intersection between fashion, design, and intellectual discourse. Organized by Formafantasma, this symposium, which takes place alongside Milan’s Salone del Mobile, stands out for its focus not on product showcases, but on the deep and thoughtful conversation surrounding design and its place in the world. Now in its fourth year, Prada Frames 2025 Edition is anchored around the theme of “In Transit,” a concept that explores infrastructure—not just as a physical network of roads and railways, but as the underlying systems that govern the flow of people, goods, and data across the globe. In this exploration, we’re tasked with questioning the roles these systems play in shaping our modern world and how design can influence and reflect these complex networks of movement.

The Intersection of Infrastructure and Design

When we think about infrastructure, our minds often leap first to physical constructions—the bridges, highways, and railroads that we navigate daily. However, Prada Frames 2025 challenges us to look beyond these traditional definitions of infrastructure and see them as part of a much larger framework. Infrastructure, in the modern context, is more than the steel and concrete of transportation. It is the invisible web of systems that underpins modern society, enabling everything from the internet and communication networks to supply chains and even social structures.

At its core, “In Transit” is a meditation on how these systems not only move us but also control us, shaping our actions, choices, and access to the world. It raises questions about who designs these systems and for what purposes. Are these systems serving the collective good, or are they optimized for the movement of power, wealth, and control? Are these structures enabling freedom and flexibility, or are they constraining human potential through bureaucratic or corporate mechanisms?

This larger conversation about infrastructure was at the heart of Prada Frames 2025, where designers, architects, and thinkers came together to explore how their work could impact these vast systems. They debated how design could be a tool to influence the flow of people and ideas, while also being mindful of how these systems impact those who don’t have access to them—highlighting the inequalities that often emerge in discussions about global connectivity and mobility.

Movement and Access: The Politics of Transit

As the world becomes more interconnected, we’ve seen how infrastructure plays an increasingly pivotal role in defining access and opportunities. From global supply chains to digital networks, the movement of data and resources shapes economies, cultures, and geopolitics. But it also creates divisions. In cities, the availability of public transport systems can drastically affect how residents move through space, participate in the economy, and access essential services. In rural areas, a lack of infrastructure can limit opportunities, leaving communities isolated and disconnected.

On a global scale, the advent of the digital age has brought with it a new form of transit—data flows across continents in milliseconds, enabling businesses to function on a global scale, while also creating new forms of control. The infrastructure behind the digital world—the data centers, fiber optic cables, and communication satellites—are not often visible, but they are just as integral as roads and railways in shaping modern life. The digital divide, the gap between those who have access to this infrastructure and those who don’t, is one of the defining challenges of our time.

Prada Frames 2025 engaged with these pressing issues, bringing together leading experts to discuss how these different infrastructures intersect and how design can help to bridge the gaps that divide us. The symposium featured conversations that probed the ways in which designers can work not just within existing systems, but also to disrupt them—creating new modes of transit, both physical and digital, that are more equitable and sustainable. These discussions were marked by an awareness that design should not only facilitate the movement of goods and people but also empower those who are often left behind in these vast, complex systems.

The Future of Urban Mobility and the Design of Public Space

One of the major themes of the Prada Frames 2025 edition was the future of urban mobility. As cities continue to grow, the demand for more efficient, sustainable, and accessible transportation systems has never been greater. Yet, as we’ve seen with the rise of rideshare services, electric scooters, and autonomous vehicles, these innovations don’t always result in more equitable systems. In fact, they often reinforce social divides, catering more to the wealthy and leaving others with few options.

The discussions at Prada Frames 2025, therefore, focused on how designers can create public spaces that serve everyone—how urban spaces can become truly inclusive, offering mobility and access to all, regardless of socioeconomic status. This includes not just physical transportation, but also the digital infrastructure that supports it. How can cities design systems that integrate new technologies, such as AI or smart traffic management, to better move people, goods, and information while also addressing issues of equity, environmental sustainability, and quality of life?

Reimagining Transit for a Sustainable Future

Another important conversation at Prada Frames 2025 revolved around sustainability—specifically, how transit and infrastructure can contribute to more sustainable futures. With the growing challenges posed by climate change, the transportation sector is a key focus area in reducing carbon footprints. However, the environmental impact of transportation systems is not just about reducing emissions. It’s also about designing infrastructures that are adaptable, resilient, and future-proof.

From renewable energy-powered public transportation systems to urban spaces designed to prioritize walking, cycling, and green spaces, designers are rethinking the very idea of movement. How can infrastructure evolve to support a future where movement is sustainable not just environmentally, but socially as well? Can we create systems that prioritize people over cars? Can we design cities that encourage mobility in ways that reduce our dependency on fossil fuels?

The contributions at Prada Frames 2025 explored these questions with a forward-looking lens, advocating for designs that not only solve current transportation problems but also lay the groundwork for a more sustainable, equitable future. Participants discussed how material choices, construction methods, and even the aesthetic design of infrastructure could contribute to sustainability goals. The ultimate challenge is balancing innovation with respect for the environment, understanding that how we design the infrastructure of today will have a profound effect on the world of tomorrow.

Design as a Tool for Social Change

While much of Prada Frames 2025’s conversations centered around practical and technical aspects of infrastructure, one of the most powerful ideas to emerge was the role of design in shaping social change. The very nature of infrastructure, in its broadest sense, reflects how societies allocate resources, distribute power, and define access. In this sense, design is not just about creating functional objects or spaces; it’s about influencing social outcomes.

In light of this, Prada Frames 2025 highlighted the importance of designing infrastructure with a deep awareness of its social, political, and environmental implications. What does it mean to design a system that prioritizes the well-being of all people, rather than the convenience of a few? Can design challenge existing power structures and create new opportunities for the underserved? These are critical questions in the era of global connectivity and social inequality, and they served as a catalyst for the rich discussions that took place at the symposium.

The Future of Transit is Yet to Be Designed

Prada Frames 2025 reinforced the idea that infrastructure is not a neutral backdrop to modern life; it is a dynamic, evolving force that shapes our experiences, relationships, and futures. The symposium underscored the responsibility of designers and thinkers to create systems of transit that don’t just move us from place to place, but that also move us toward a more equitable, sustainable, and just world.

As we look ahead, it’s clear that the future of transit is not predetermined. It is something that will be designed, debated, and reimagined in the years to come. The conversations at Prada Frames 2025 were a powerful reminder that design is not just about aesthetics or functionality—it is about shaping the future of how we live, move, and connect with each other in an increasingly interconnected world.

In this way, Prada Frames 2025 did more than just showcase cutting-edge design ideas—it catalyzed a collective vision of a world where infrastructure serves people, not the other way around. In the coming years, the challenge for designers will be to continue this work, breaking down barriers, rethinking movement, and creating systems that foster more inclusive, sustainable, and dynamic futures.