Courtesy of Prada
If you’ve ever wondered what one wears on a trip to space, Prada has the answer for you. In a historic move for the fashion industry, the iconic Italian fashion house has partnered with commercial space station Axiom Space on a lunar suit that will be worn for NASA’s Artemis III mission, which is planned for 2025. For context, this will be the first lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972 and also the first to place a woman on the moon.
In an official press release, Prada Group Marketing Director Lorenzo Bertelli said the move aligns with late founder Mario Prada’s “forward-thinking ethos” and is simply an extension of his desire to brave new horizons. In this case, said horizons include outerspace. “Our decades of experimentation, cutting-edge technology and design know-how — which started back in the ‘90s with Luna Rossa challenging for the America’s cup — will now be applied to the design of a spacesuit for the Artemis era,” said Bertelli. “It is a true celebration of the power of human creativity and innovation to advance civilization.”
And while Prada is known for its sensual, crisp, bold take on design and style, don’t expect any skimpy mini dresses here. For the cutting edge AxEMU spacesuit, the brand and Axiom aimed to provide a uniform that allowed for “increased flexibility, greater protection to withstand the harsh environment, and specialized tools” for optimum exploration experiences.
Courtesy of PradaCourtesy of Prada
“Prada’s technical expertise with raw materials, manufacturing techniques, and innovative design concepts will bring advanced technologies instrumental in ensuring not only the comfort of astronauts on the lunar surface, but also the much-needed human factors considerations absent from legacy spacesuits,” said Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom Space in the official press release.
Stay tuned for more new developments on this exciting new project that is sure to be a history-making event.