A Hong Kong-based Belgian designer is taking fashion powerhouse Prada to court, claiming at least US$5 million in damages for the alleged repudiation of a partnership agreement to redesign a series of Rolls-Royce cars for exhibitions and events worldwide. In a High Court lawsuit filed on Thursday, Jonathan Riss accused the Italian brand of breaching various written and verbal agreements to jointly develop a marketing initiative which he said Hong Kong-listed Prada unilaterally abandoned for accountability reasons. Prada chairman Patrizio Bertelli, his fashion-designer wife Miuccia Prada and their son Lorenzo Bertelli, who serves as the firm’s executive director, were also named as defendants in the writ seen by the South China Morning Post on Friday. Riss, whose real name is Jonathan Thierry Colin, is the founder of luxury fashion brand Jay Ahr and has gained a reputation for collaborating with international brands including Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Rolls-Royce. The designer maintains a studio in an industrial building in Wong Chuk Hang in Hong Kong Island’s southern district. Ahrsenal Limited, the automotive arm of Jay Ahr, was named as the second plaintiff in the lawsuit. The plaintiffs’ lawyers said Riss was initially engaged by Patrizio Bertelli in February 2024 to transform Prada’s Galleria and Nylon bags, before the two parties agreed to work on a neo-prototype concept incorporating the signature elements of Prada and Jay Ahr. The two sides eventually decided to work on an initiative later known as “Prada Strada”, which translates as “Prada Road”. The plan was for Prada to “orchestrate immersive marketing and retail environments” by showcasing at least 10 Rolls-Royce Corniche cars redesigned by Riss in automotive exhibitions and rallies around the world. Lawyers argued that Prada and its top executives had “actively and repeatedly encouraged” Riss to develop and commit to what could be a long-term strategic project no later than March last year, and the parties had signed a memorandum the following month setting out their intentions. The memorandum reportedly stipulated the deadlines for Riss to submit his creations to Prada and the payment he would receive, including US$900,000 for each designed Rolls-Royce car. Riss’s lawyers contended that although the parties had never entered into a formal contract, they had acted consistently as if a contract were already in place from June 2025. They said Riss had invested significantly in technology, design and research for the project, including buying three Rolls-Royce Corniches at his own expense. But Prada never finalised the paperwork, according to the court filing. In February this year, Lorenzo Bertelli reportedly told Riss through WhatsApp that the project had been “paused” for accountability reasons. “This communication, made after more than two years of active collaboration, constituted a unilateral and wrongful repudiation by [Prada] of its obligations to the plaintiffs under the contract,” the writ said. After being pressed by the designer’s lawyers for further explanations, Prada’s legal representatives denied the existence of any viable cause of action and allegedly characterised the collaboration as no more than “preliminary discussions”. The fashion house’s legal team also allegedly threatened to seek legal costs for any claims initiated by the plaintiffs, while refusing to give any undertaking not to use or commercialise the “Prada Strada” concept without Riss’ involvement. The plaintiffs are seeking at least US$5 million in damages from Prada, the Bertelli family or both, on grounds including breach of contract, restitution for work done and threatened copyright infringement. They also asked the court to bar Prada from further developing the project on its own and to order Lorenzo Bertelli, who had previously given Riss a collection of Prada bags for redesign purposes, to pay him for the work done before reclaiming them.