Hideo Kojima is Prada's new favorite artist The world's most famous game designer will present a new exhibition in collaboration with the Maison at the Hotel Chelsea in New York
Prada has never been a brand that confined itself within the fashion system. Over the years, the maison has built much of its cultural identity through an ongoing dialogue with cinema, contemporary art, architecture and literature, transforming many of its collaborations into something far closer to a curatorial project than a simple branding exercise. It is no coincidence that, when asked how she develops her own personal taste, Miuccia Prada told Perfect Magazine a few months ago: «study, study, study, learn, watch movies, watch art, read literature». It comes as no surprise, then, that for the new edition of Prada Mode the maison has decided to venture even further from the territories traditionally associated with fashion, collaborating with Hideo Kojima, arguably the most famous and influential game designer in the world.
This coming June, at the historic Hotel Chelsea in New York, Prada will present Satellites II, the fourteenth edition of Prada Mode, developed together with Kojima and Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. The project grows out of the Satellites exhibition, presented in 2025 at Prada Aoyama in Tokyo, and will continue to explore the relationship between language, creativity, human connection and friendship through an immersive experience.
Who is Hideo Kojima and why does fashion love him?
For those who don't follow the world of video games, Hideo Kojima is far more than a developer. In Japan he is a superstar, while in the rest of the world he is often treated as a cinematic auteur on loan to gaming. The creator of iconic franchises such as Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding, Kojima has completely changed the way video games are perceived: his works are steeped in philosophical, political and cinematic references, with an almost obsessive attention to aesthetics, direction and the construction of a visual universe.
Fashion, for its part, loves Kojima for the same reasons it loves cinema: his aesthetic universe is immediately recognisable, rich in symbolism and, above all, thoroughly contemporary. At a moment in history when luxury is constantly seeking new cultural languages to remain relevant and offer new experiences to its customers, niche gaming represents one of the most fertile territories to explore. Kojima, perhaps more than anyone else, has succeeded in making video games desirable even to a fashion-forward and creative audience, thanks in part to his desire to bridge the Asian and Western creative worlds.
Over the years, the game designer has been invited to runway shows, fashion weeks and exclusive events almost as though he were a Hollywood celebrity or a Korean idol. He has collaborated with brands, appeared on the cover of Vogue Japan and built a public image far removed from the stereotype of the programmer — much as Prada has moved beyond being a fashion house in the strictest sense to become a bridge between luxury and contemporary culture.
