Prada's Planned IPO Is Still On

Prada, the Italian fashion house, is getting ready to send its latest styles down the runways in Milan this week.

But the timing of Prada's other big show -- its initial public offering -- is far less certain. Although the company began talking about going public as early as 2000, it has postponed the event three times since then. Now, with many other companies withdrawing their initial offerings because of grim market conditions, many are wondering whether Prada will stick to its latest plan for an offering in 2008.

A Prada spokesman sounds confident. He told Women's Wear Daily on Sunday that the company, which owns the Prada and Miu Miu brands, expects to list on the Milan Stock Exchange in either June or November. No decision would be made before March, when Prada reports 2007 earnings, he added.

Just last month, Tommy Hilfiger, another popular fashion brand, fell victim to the market chill. Its private equity owners. Apax Partners, decided to postpone a public stock offering in Europe.

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Read the original Women's Wear Daily article.

Read more about the demise of the Hilfiger IPO.