Miuccia Prada Named Sole Italian in TIME 100 2025, Kennedy Jr.’s Inclusion Stirs Debate
New York, NY – April 16, 2025
The TIME 100 list for 2025, unveiled today, celebrates the world’s most influential figures, with Italian fashion icon Miuccia Prada standing alone as Italy’s representative. Lauded for her avant-garde vision at Prada and Miu Miu, Prada joins artists like Ed Sheeran and Scarlett Johansson in the Artists category. Meanwhile, the inclusion of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. among Leaders, alongside figures like Donald Trump and Claudia Sheinbaum, has sparked controversy, with critics on X questioning his influence due to his vaccine skepticism and recent political shifts. The list, reported by La Stampa, highlights both Prada’s creative dominance and the polarizing “Kennedy case.”
Prada’s Singular Honor
At 76, Miuccia Prada earns TIME’s nod for transforming luxury fashion with her intellectual, minimalist designs, per La Stampa. As the only Italian named, her inclusion reflects a lifetime of defying convention—blending feminist roots with high fashion, as seen in Prada’s $5.4 billion empire and its recent $1.4 billion Versace acquisition, per Reuters. TIME praises her for “redefining beauty,” citing her Fall 2025 collection’s raw, undone aesthetic, per Editorialist. On X, fans cheer: “Miuccia’s a legend—Italy’s proud,” though some quip, “One Italian? TIME’s slacking.”
Her journey, from 1968 Milan protests in Yves Saint Laurent suits to co-creative director with Raf Simons, underscores her influence, per The New Yorker. With a Ph.D. in political science and a past in mime, Prada’s eclectic path—once a Communist Party member, per Wikipedia—shapes her cerebral designs, earning her a spot as the 75th most powerful woman globally in 2014, per Forbes. Her Fondazione Prada art ventures, backing filmmakers like Ava DuVernay, further cement her cultural impact, per Vanity Fair.
The Kennedy Jr. Case
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s place among Leaders has ignited debate. Known for environmental advocacy turned vaccine skepticism, his 2024 independent presidential run—polling 5% before endorsing Trump, per CNN—and rumored cabinet consideration fuel his prominence, per La Stampa. TIME credits his ability to “shape discourse,” but critics argue his anti-vaccine stance, labeled misinformation by health experts, overshadows any merit, per The Guardian. On X, reactions split: “RFK Jr.’s dangerous—why’s he here?” versus “He’s shaking things up, like it or not.”
Kennedy’s influence stems from his pivot to Trump’s orbit, amplifying his voice among conservatives, per NBC News. Yet, his Children’s Health Defense group, with $23 million in 2022 revenue, faces lawsuits for misleading claims, per Reuters. Supporters see him as a free-speech warrior; detractors call him a public health risk. “TIME’s list is about impact, not approval,” one X user noted, capturing the tension.
Broader Context
The 2025 TIME 100 spans Artists (Kristen Bell, Hozier), Leaders (Keir Starmer, Javier Milei), and Innovators like Tedros Ghebreyesus, per La Stampa. Prada’s solitary Italian presence contrasts with Italy’s usual cultural heft, prompting questions on X: “No scientists? No chefs?” Kennedy’s inclusion, meanwhile, reflects TIME’s knack for controversial picks, like Trump, who dominates headlines with tariffs, per CNBC. Both figures—Prada’s quiet genius and Kennedy’s loud disruption—define influence in starkly different ways.
As Prada prepares her next Milan show and Kennedy navigates political speculation, their TIME nods underscore 2025’s complex landscape. For Italy, Prada’s honor is a point of pride; for Kennedy, it’s a lightning rod.
By Staff Writer, Global Influence Gazette
Sources: La Stampa, Reuters, The New Yorker, Wikipedia, Forbes, Vanity Fair, Editorialist, CNN, The Guardian, NBC News, posts on X