You can now yap to Miranda July on Prada’s new hotline

Back in July, Prada revealed its AW24 campaign to the world, starring Hunter Schafer, Harris Dickinson, Ma Yila and Damson Idris. In the Willy Vandeperre-shot images, the stars are sitting around nattering to one another, but can also be seen speaking into some old wired phones, the type your mum might have had back in the 2000s. Each actor did a brilliant job of looking extremely engrossed in the conversation, which begged the question: who was on the other end of the line? Well, it was only author, actress and filmmaker Mirandy July!

In the second part of its “Now That We Are Here” project, the house revealed today that it’s collaborating with July to bring the imagined conversations with Schafer and co to life. Described as “a real-life mirror of the telephone exchanges at the heart of the campaign”, billboards in London, New York, LA, Milan and Bangkok will advertise a toll-free number that fans can ring up to speak with July. Though it won’t actually be her live on the other end of the line, callers will hear a pre-programmed rendering of the actor’s voice which interprets the conversation based on a script written by July herself. Different caller responses will trigger “a multitude of variations” according to Prada, so give her a call and see what she says!

Outside of the campaign, July has enjoyed a strong creative partnership with the brand. In March, Miranda July: New Society debuted at the Fondazione Prada in Milan, a retrospective that charts the last 30 years of her career. The exhibition included screenings of her entire filmography, including features and shorts, plus “F.A.M.I.L.Y” (Falling Apart Meanwhile I Love You), a new video installation created in collaboration with seven strangers from Instagram.

Miranda July: New Society is on at Fondazione Prada’s Osservatorio until October 28

Scroll through the gallery above to see the entire campaign, and click here to find out how July’s new novel derailed one editor’s entire life.