The Hidden Love Tradition at The PRADA Store in West Texas: “Love Locks”

If you’ve taken a road trip to Alpine, Texas then you’re probably familiar with the iconic PRADA store that is located literally in the middle of nowhere just outside of Valentine, Texas.

However, there’s more to the PRADA store than just being a quirky art installation that draws visitors from all over the world to take Instagram-worthy shots. I’m talking about the “Love Locks” that tell the love stories of many who stop by and visit the iconic location.

The Iconic PRADA Store:

The PRADA store in Marfa, Texas, isn’t your typical retail shop—it’s actually a permanent art installation created by artists Elmgreen and Dragset in 2005. Officially titled “PRADA Marfa,” this faux store is located on a desolate stretch of the U.S. Highway 90, about 1.4 miles northwest of Valentine, Texas, and about 26 miles from the town of Marfa.

The installation is designed to look like a high-end PRADA boutique, complete with the luxury brand’s logo and real PRADA items displayed inside—though the door is permanently locked, and the items are not for sale. It’s meant to be a commentary on consumerism, luxury, and the incongruity of placing a high-fashion store in the middle of the barren West Texas desert.

It’s A Love Story On A Fence:

I recently took a trip to Alpine, Texas and had to stop by the PRADA store because I had never been! But when we got out of the car to take a photo we noticed that the gate surrounding the PRADA Store was full of locks and other random items and messages. 

In recent years, the fence surrounding the store has become a canvas for personal expressions of love, with visitors attaching “Love Locks” as a tribute to their relationships. It’s like Marfa’s own take on the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris.

Couples from near and far will attach padlocks etched with their initials, declarations of love, and little doodles. Some locks are plain, others have hearts, dates, or even a short message, but each one carries a story, a moment frozen in time.

So of course, me being the hopeful romantic that I am, I had to jump on this “locks of love” bandwagon and me and my boyfriend bought a lock and placed our “Lock of love” right in the middle of the gate to add our love story to the rest of the love stories around.

So next time you make the trip to this famous West Texas destination, don’t forget to pack a padlock. Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll come back and find your lock still hanging there, a testament to your love story in the middle of nowhere.