JUAN CARLOS LLORCA
Associated Press
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The Prada Marfa stands out, but not like the Italian luxury brand’s stores in the world’s major fashion capitals: It’s surrounded by desolate prairie, alone in a plot of dirt along a rural highway in the West Texas desert.
The art installation has become a must-see for curious tourists since it was erected nine years ago along Highway 90, about 40 miles from the small artsy town of Marfa. Scandinavian artists Elmgreen & Dragset wanted the mock-up store, the size of shack but with Prada shoes and bags inside, to be a critique of the luxury goods industry.
But it was threatened when it was deemed an illegal roadside advertisement.
After nearly a year of negotiations, the Texas Department of Transportation tells The Associated Press that it has reached an agreement that will save the Prada Marfa by classifying it as a museum.
“TxDOT appreciates and values the cultural significance of Prada Marfa, and we are happy to have found a win-win solution that keeps it in its current location,” said John Barton, the department’s deputy executive director.
The installation — a sealed store with samples of shoes and handbags that appeared to be worth thousands of dollars — came in the state agency’s crosshairs after a local resident filed a complaint about Playboy magazine installing a 40-foot-tall neon bunny along the same roadway.
The bunny was deemed a sign, and therefore in need of a sign permit under state law. The area is ineligible for sign permits, so the sign was eventually removed.
But that meant the Prada Marfa, with the luxury brand’s logo featured on its awnings, fell under the same rules.
The department says the group that manages the site, the Ballroom Marfa Foundation, obtained a lease for the privately owned roadside land, allowing the site to be considered a museum — with the mock-up store building as its only exhibit.
Any signage is considered “on-premise” and doesn’t require a permit under state law, department spokeswoman Veronica Beyer said.
“Prada Marfa is not going anywhere,” said Daniel Chamberlin, spokesman for Ballroom Marfa. “We are pleased to have worked with them and are happy to have come to a resolution.”
The mock store has endured numerous acts of vandalism in the last decade, including people shooting at it and a break-in — during which the thieves discovered the bags had their bottoms cut out and the shoes weren’t in pairs.
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