This past Sunday, while the weather in Milan was hot and sunny, the forecast inside the corrugated steel bunker hosting Prada’s SS24 mens show called for a torrent of slime. It’s fitting that Raf Simons delivered utilitarian rainy-day tailoring for Fluid Form, his aptly titled sixth menswear collection as Prada’s co-creative director. Dramatic leather hoodies and cushy bags juxtaposed with relaxed fringe-laden blouses and tactical vests culminated in a playful take on traditional masculinity that front row attendee Damson Idris describes as, “Creating more room for men to express themselves.” A few hours after the show, the Swarm star took five to tell us about about the venue’s slime cover ceiling, his favorite looks from the collection, and freestyling to the Nine Inch Nails soundtrack from the front row.
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DAMSON IDRIS: Mekala, How are you?
MEKALA RAJAGOPAL: Great, and you?
IDRIS: Very good. I’m in Milan and the weathers beautiful.
RAJAGOPAL: How was the show?
IDRIS: Right before it, my team said to me, “Damson, make sure you look up, because we have a surprise.” And ten seconds into the show, straight up slime was falling from the ceiling. So that was a great surprise. But as always the show was absolutely fantastic. Raf’s Prada is beautiful and there are so many pieces that I’m definitely going to try to own.
RAJAGOPAL: Did you get slimed?
IDRIS: No. [Laughs] It was so funny because backstage the ongoing thing was “Did you touch the slime?” Everyone was saying, “Yeah, I put a finger through it!” I didn’t get to unfortunately, but it was a fun show. That’s what fashion is, and Prada does it so well.
RAJAGOPAL: What was the vibe of the collection?
IDRIS: Chic, as always. On the topic of masculinity, the collection is creating more room for men to express themselves in less traditional ways. That’s part of what Prada does so well.
RAJAGOPAL: What was your favorite look?
IDRIS: My favorite look was this black fur jacket worn with the black shorts. It was fur along the breast and nylon along the arms. I was searching everywhere for the model backstage and I was like, “Hey, can I take a picture of you?” I’m definitely going to find that jacket when the weather gets a bit more cool.
RAJAGOPAL: I saw a fur vest, is that the one?
IDRIS: I’m actually looking at it now and I think you’re right. It is a vest, and a black shirt underneath. It was gorgeous.
RAJAGOPAL: The grey version with the red shirt was so cute.
IDRIS: That one was beautiful as well.
RAJAGOPAL: Can we get a fit check of what you wore?
IDRIS: I wore a black knitted Prada vest, a black Prada suit, some black Prada shoes, and this amazing little pouch bag that went over my neck and around one of my arms and sat in between the jacket. It was very chic. And then I threw in some gold Prada jewelry: two bangles, a lovely pinky ring, and a nice neck choker, which is something I’m really into now. My chains are getting smaller because my neck’s getting so strong from of all the training I’ve been doing for the film I’m shooting now where I play a Formula One racer. My neck’s getting really muscly so the chains aren’t fitting me anymore, it’s ruining my whole swag. [Laughs]
RAJAGOPAL: The choker needs a comeback anyway. Can you describe your style in three words?
IDRIS: Comfortable, eye-catching, fearless.
RAJAGOPAL: Which look would Khalid from Swarm wear?
IDRIS: He would probably wear that fur vest. Or he’d wear the leather hooded jacket with the red bag.
RAJAGOPAL: Love it. Do you remember who was sitting next to you?
IDRIS: Yes, Harris Dickinson, my good buddy. Me and Harris go way back. He’s a phenomenally talented actor and we had a great time just vibing to the music. We were actually freestyling badly to the beat, thank god no one’s going to hear that.
RAJAGOPAL: What was the music like?
IDRIS: All I have in my head is the beat. [Beatboxes] And our feet were just tapping away and we were banging our heads back and forth. I can’t remember what we were saying. I think it was something along the lines of—I don’t even wanna do it.
RAJAGOPAL: I mean, give us some bars.
IDRIS: One of them was like, “They want the old me, now they gonna get the new me,” something like that. There’s a reason why we act and don’t do music.
RAJAGOPAL: Where did you go after?
IDRIS: We went to a beautiful café and got some paninis and cold caramel lattes, and then a bunch of us went through from the show to the Haunted House, as they call it, which was the solid gold building right next to the show. There was this mushroom house and so many other things inside, it’s amazing and definitely worth going to. I got to hang out with someone I truly admire, a gentleman by the name of Omar Sy, who is a fantastic French actor. He made the mistake of giving me his number so I’m probably going to bother him going forward. But we had an amazing time and now we’re on our way to dinner. The whole Prada crew are gonna link up and I’m going to whisper some ideas into Raf and Mrs. Prada’s ears and pretend next year is all me.
RAJAGOPAL: There we go, your first collection. Thanks for taking the time. Enjoy your dinner.
IDRIS: Thank you so much.
