The company started in 1913 by Mario Prada and his brother Martino as Fratelli Prada, a leather goods shop in Milan. Initially, the shop sold animal goods, imported English steamer trunks, and handbags.

Mario Prada did not believe women should have a role in business, so he prevented female family members from entering his company. Ironically, Mario’s son had no interest in the business, so it was Mario’s daughter Luisa who succeeded Mario and ran Prada for almost twenty years. Luisa’s daughter, Miuccia Prada, joined the company in 1970, eventually taking over from Luisa in 1978