From Hawaii to Japan:
Benedict Cumberbatch and Prada Group in defence of the ocean
Fashion has never existed in a vacuum. Its deepest sources of inspiration are art and nature — and the more turbulent the times, the more reliably the fashion houses return to these foundations. Prada, one of the most considered voices in contemporary fashion, makes the point again in 2026: style and responsibility not only can coexist, they must. The new campaign places the ocean at its centre — and the people willing to stand in its defence.
The faces of the project are Benedict Cumberbatch and Letitia Wright. What Prada presented was not a conventional campaign of polished portraits. Together with the team at National Geographic CreativeWorks, the two actors set off on a journey through some of the most remarkable places on earth — from Oahu in Hawaii to the Izu Peninsula in Japan and the ancient city of Kamakura on the island of Honshu. Both video and still captures were used to document the expedition.
Here, against waves and rock, people make contact with the ocean — exploring it from the shore, the deck, and... from within, beneath the surface.
Despite the presence of two of the most recognisable faces in contemporary cinema, the true protagonist of the campaign is the ocean itself. It’s not just here as a backdrop, it has the lead role in the story. Its presence, much larger than what the frame can capture, draws attention to what is undeniable: that nature is not just a background to human life. It’s a fragile ecosystem that is affected by every choice we make.
Behind the images, there is serious work. In 2019, Prada Group launched the Re-Nylon collection, reconceiving its approach to production from the ground up. Accessories and ready-to-wear for the line are made from regenerated nylon — a material recovered from plastic collected at landfills, from textile waste, and from the ocean itself. Through complex processes of depolymerisation and repolymerisation, discarded material is transformed into fabric that can be recycled again and again, without any loss of quality.
The initiative makes an argument that is difficult to ignore: true luxury today is not the possession of costly things. It is the capacity to preserve what is genuinely worth keeping.
