The Astronaut Wears Prada: A revolution in space fashion is coming our way

Fashion knows no boundaries and soon enough it will be on the moon and in space!

The spacesuit industry – which has been known to be functional – has taken a leap into the world of high fashion, with Prada being roped into to design NASA’s new attire for its astronauts. This means that the next time you see NASA astronauts they will be dressed in uber chic spacesuits designed by the reputed Italian fashion brand.

Does this collaboration mean that fashion houses will now trade in the catwalk for a spacewalk? Let’s find out.

Prada lunar spacesuits

On Wednesday (4 October), it was reported that Italian luxury group Prada would be joining forces with Texas-based start-up Axiom Space, the architect of the world’s first commercial space station, to design lunar spacesuits for NASA’s 2025 Artemis III mission.

The mission scheduled for 2025 is the first time NASA is returning to the moon since Apollo 17 happened in December 1972. Moreover, it will also be the first to transport a woman on our satellite.

Michael Suffredini, CEO, Axiom Space, was quoted as saying about the collaboration, “We are excited to partner with Prada on the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) space suit. Prada’s know-how in raw materials, manufacturing techniques will enable the application of advanced technologies to ensure the comfort of astronauts on the lunar surface, while also taking into account those benefits that are so necessary yet still absent in traditional space suits.”

The next-generation suits, according to Axiom, will reflect Prada’s know-how of materials and experimentation that stretches back to the ’90s when Prada-designed Luna Rossa participated in the America’s Cup.

And Prada, it seems is up for the challenge. Speaking to WWD, Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group’s marketing director, said: “In general, space suits are one of the most challenging things, for a very small environment, and we have to create an environment where humans live in, provide oxygen and remove CO2.

“It’s not as simple as an air conditioner turned on, air has to flow a certain way in the suit, you have to provide air from the top to the bottom, you have to cool the subject and there’s a lot that goes on inside the suit — and then of course the outer portion and you have to hold pressure in the suit. The crew person has to be mobile, so there has to be a different pressure, in and out, which makes it like operating in a big balloon.”

However, both have said that the AxEMU will have more advanced capabilities than the regular space suit.

It’s notable to add that Axiom has said that the spacesuit will be developed for “a very broad range of human beings to make sure we can accommodate just about any astronaut that has been selected.” In the fashion world, this could translate into being inclusive of all body types.

Also read: A giant leap for the beauty world: How skincare for space travel is on the rise

Evolution of space fashion

With Prada’s entry into the market, the spacesuit has seen a long evolution.

The first type of spacesuit to be seen was the one that Yuri Gagarin wore when he was blasted into space. He wore the SK-1 spacesuit, which was a full pressure suit designed to keep him alive under a wide array of conditions. It included life support systems, a visored helmet, a radio headset, and an inflatable collar which would come in handy in the event of a water landing, doubling as a life preserve.

In 1961, following the Soviet Union’s space adventure, the US sent its own astronauts into space, wearing the Mercury spacesuit. The design was taken from the US Navy’s aviation suits and was made from an aluminium coated fabric.

When Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon in 1969, they did in their Apollo spacesuits. These had a backpack that provided oxygen, regulated pressure and removed carbon dioxide.

In the 1990s, NASA astronauts began donning orange suits, nicknamed the “pumpkin suit.”

SpaceX for its own space mission designed new flight suits – sleek black-and-white suits, a far cry from the orange “pumpkin suits” from the shuttle program.

Out of this world market!

With the advent of space tourism, space fashion looks set to become the next step into this infinite world of adventure. As Nicholas de Monchaux, author of ‘Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo’, told Quartz, “Public access to space is just beginning, and so this notion of dressing for space that was so often science fiction is going to become a reality.”

Matthew Drinkwater, head of the Fashion Innovation Agency at London College of Fashion, echoed similar sentiments. In a Forbes report, he was quoted as saying, “If you’re a space tourist, when you’re going up there, looking the part is all part of the experience you are having.”

“Space travel has always been unattainable – something the ordinary individual could not get access to. That experience will become democratised thanks to Virgin Galactic and SpaceX, but it’s still with a big price tag attached to it, so you could mirror that with luxury,”’ he added.

And while this may be a new frontier for the fashion world, on earth, many designers have sought inspiration from space and created collections dedicated to the cosmos. In fact, in 1964 designer André Courrèges was at the forefront of fashion’s preoccupation with exploring the solar system. He popularised, as Vogue reports, items that came to define the “Moon Girl” look, including flat boots, goggles and trouser suits, as well as garments made from wipe-clean PVC.

The year 2010 saw a wide gamut of galaxy prints, the colours of the cosmos scattered across dresses, T-shirts, bags and every other available surface.

And who can forget Karl Lagerfeld’s 2017 Chanel’s autumn/winter which not only featured a rocket on the runway but also the usual tweeds and pearls being given a cosmic twist, with glittery black-toed moon boots, translucent astronaut prints, metallic trench coats, quilted foil capes and several sequinned gowns mimicking the starriest of skies.

And while it’s a wait for space fashion to take off, we can’t wait to see what Prada offers in their spacesuit designs.

With inputs from agencies