Miuccia is of course Mrs Prada, and the result of that message is Cass x Prada, a collaboration that has reimagined the brand’s iconic sneaker in a limited edition range of hand-painted, entirely unique pieces.

Connections can of course only get you so far, and the sneakers in question show that Cass clearly has talent – colourful and arresting, they look more like wearable art than patterned clothing.

Which perhaps explains why Prada – a brand that remains famously picky when it comes to working with other artists or designers – jumped at the chance of collaborating with a still unknown Gen Z painter.

“Prada has really invested in the idea, which is amazing,” says Cass from his studio in London, in the UK. “It’s a big jump for them and for me; there are so many artists and so many people would love a brand to use their art, so I feel very lucky. To see a brand like Prada, which is quite traditional, working with someone like me shows they want to invest in the new.”

Much of the process was, for Cass, entirely new. The venture took about three years from start to finish and saw Cass go to Tuscany to visit the Prada factory, look through archives, borrow prototypes and learn the basics of shoemaking.

“It was fascinating because there was so much to take in but also because working with a factory in Italy meant a lot of it was a lot out of my hands – a lot of tricky points came where I was trying to learn more.

“Shoes have to be worn, whereas at first I was thinking like an artist. But it all made me realise I’m open to anything.

“Shoes have appeared randomly in my life – shoes aren’t really my thing – but the art is applicable to anything. It has made me see that anything is possible.”

Cass has also spray-painted masks, explaining that during a lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic his brother brought some home; at first he thought they were another fun format to work on, but soon he started looking into the meaning behind them and the anonymity removing the face brings.

“[Superhero television series] Power Rangers were huge for me when I was younger,” he says. “There is something fascinating about seeing humans with their faces obscured – we’re all so attracted to faces, but if we can’t see them then we look at people in a new way.”

Cass is clearly far more interested in the artistic side of the Prada venture than the fashion one, although the two industries are becoming increasingly intertwined, something he is more aware of than most young artists.

Some of the sheen of the art world has clearly been rubbed off for Cass after a lifetime’s exposure to it, but he is understandably very grateful to his father and also seems aware of how lucky he has been in comparison to most young artists trying to find their footing.

“My dad has been very helpful,” he says. “Whenever I’ve got stuck, whether it’s thinking I’ve got the finished product or whatever, he’s really helpful at helping me see what I should see. When you work on something for ages, your view can be distorted – my dad’s been super helpful with my perspective but he also lets me handle the decisions.”

Now he’s an established name with a major collaboration behind him, has it changed the father-son dynamic?

“If he needs advice, he sometimes comes to me,” says Cass. “He had some issue with sourcing something – I found a solution. It’s nice.”