How Amanda Gorman Got Ready for Prada’s Milan Fashion Week Show

Since reciting her original poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, Amanda Gorman has been on a mission to make a difference. She writes about the gun violence crisis in America, spreads awareness about threats to abortion care access, and even spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Gorman’s words have impact—and when she makes a public appearance, so do her sartorial choices. Memorably, at Biden’s inauguration, she wore a canary-yellow Prada coat she said symbolized a “new dawn,” which is a reference to her poem.

Earlier this year, Gorman sat down with ELLE to talk about the importance of limiting herself to causes she cares about and the things she truly loves. “I’m reclaiming my ‘No,’ which is also empowering my ‘Yes.’ I wish I’d learned that sooner, but I know it now. So the most I can do is live by it in the present,” she said. It makes sense, then, that during Milan Fashion Week, Gorman made time to see Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons’s spring/summer 2025 collection for Prada, one of her favorite labels. “Prada shows are so full of life and excitement,” she says. Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpse inside her prep process for the show, below.

Rose is the Senior Editor of Features & Special Projects at ELLE.com overseeing features and projects about women’s issues. She is an accomplished and compassionate storyteller and editor who excels in obtaining exclusive interviews and unearthing compelling features.