Tech

It's not a coincidence that Mark Zuckerberg sat front row at Prada's latest show

By Joi-Marie McKenzie
Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg at a 2026 Prada runway show in Milan.
Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg at a 2026 Prada runway show in Milan. Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters
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Zuck's latest moment

It was the question on everyone's mind: Why is Mark Zuckerberg sitting front row at Prada's fashion show?

He and his wife, Priscilla Chan, attended the fall 2026 womenswear show during Milan Fashion Week, surrounded by a gaggle of security, sitting next to Miuccia Prada's son, Lorenzo Bertelli, while being an arm's length away from Anna Wintour and Instagram's director of fashion partnerships, Eva Chen.

This wasn't random.

Despite becoming iconic for wearing the Silicon Valley uniform of dark jeans, boring gray tees, and hoodies, Zuckerberg has been — as most elder millennials are — quietly stepping up his fashion game since 2014, when we found out he looks good in a suit.

Still, his attendance at fashion week felt less about sartorial matters and more about business. It's no secret he's trying to make wearable tech happen, and Meta announced last year that it's partnering with Prada to create a luxury version of its AI glasses.

Despite the real reason, it angered some fashion purists — if social media comments are a reliable indicator — and raised eyebrows for others. Was it a pure business play or an example of a billionaire attempting to buy his way into cultural fluency?

Either way, Zuck clearly had a good time. He shared a carousel of photos to, of course, Instagram with the caption, "Thanks to Prada for having us in Milan!"

The fact remains that fashion can bring a different sort of cool factor that technology just can't reach. And tech leaders' new platforms perhaps won't just be smart, they'll be stylish.

Smiling person poses for a studio portrait against a plain light background wearing a navy collared knit top.
Joi-Marie McKenzie
Joi-Marie McKenzie is the editor in chief of the Life team at Business Insider, overseeing entertainment, real estate, lifestyle, health, parenting, and our Style & Success coverage.Previously, she worked for nearly a decade in network news at NBC and ABC, along with Good Morning America, where she earned an Emmy Award. McKenzie was also a senior entertainment editor at Essence magazine and deputy editor of entertainment at Insider, now known as Business Insider.While serving as deputy editor of entertainment at Insider, McKenzie earned several journalism awards and recognition. She was also nominated for the editor executive of the year in 2022 by the Drum Awards.The fifth-generation writer and editor has moderated conversations for The Paley Center for Media, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, and Barnes and Noble in New York City.McKenzie has written two books, both released by Hachette. Her first was a critically-acclaimed memoir titled "The Engagement Game," and she also wrote "The Pursuit of Porsha," the memoir of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Porsha Williams.McKenzie also sits on the board of Color Vision, an organization that helps, educates, and informs women of color in creative fields. She's also a board member of The Afro American Newspaper, which serves the Baltimore-Washington area and was founded by her great-great-grandfather, John H. Murphy Sr., a formerly enslaved Civil War veteran.
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