NASA astronauts heading to the Moon will be fully kitted out in Prada-designed spacesuits after the high-end Italian fashion house unveiled its latest undergarment on Sunday.
Developed in collaboration with space infrastructure firm Axiom Space, the inner-layer LCVG suit features advanced ventilation systems knitted into the fabric, as well as a cooling system that carried cold water in tubes over the body’s main muscle groups.
“We are proud to present a new achievement born from the unique combination of Axiom Space’s pioneering expertise and Prada’s know-how in design, pattern making, and advanced materials, ahead of humanity’s return to the lunar surface,” said Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada’s chief marketing officer.
Axiom Space CEO Dr Jonathan Cirtain added: “By bringing together the best in both aerospace engineering as well as luxury craftmanship and advanced product development, we have developed a garment that neither company could have created independently, and that is exactly the kind of cross-industry thinking that will define the next era of human spaceflight.”
This latest innovation follows Prada's high-profile foray into space fashion in 2024 with the unveiling of an outer spacesuit slated for NASA's Artemis 3 Earth orbit mission in 2027, and the anticipated Artemis 4 moon landing in 2028.
While luxury brands have historically drawn inspiration from space travel, Prada has moved "beyond inspiration into an actual partnership," according to Thomai Serdari, a luxury brand strategist and marketing professor at New York University's Stern School of Business, as the space exploration and tourism sectors continue to evolve.
Mr Serdari highlighted two key motivations behind Prada's interest in the space industry: gaining access to affluent consumers considering space travel and aligning the brand with avant-garde thinking.
This strategy mirrors the efforts of companies like Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX, which have increasingly focused on space tourism for the wealthy.
The renewed focus on space exploration and human missions to the moon is "bound to attract a lot of eyeballs," observed Luca Solca, global head of luxury goods at Bernstein, emphasizing the need for luxury brands to maintain relevance and visibility.
Prada's ambitious venture also unfolded against the backdrop of a struggling luxury goods sector, which, after two years of contraction, had shown signs of stabilization until the Iran war began in late February, disrupting travel and dampening luxury spending far beyond the Middle East.
Other apparel companies have already entered the space arena, with Under Armour partnering with Virgin Galactic for space apparel and Columbia Sportswear collaborating with Intuitive Machines on space fabric technology.
French sporting goods retailer Decathlon also unveiled its first spacesuit last year for use on missions to the International Space Station (ISS).
There have been a number of innovations and upgrades to the Artemis spacesuits compared to those worn by astronauts on NASA’s Apollo missions.
Advances in materials science mean current suits allow for far greater mobility compared to the Apollo-era suits, which should astronauts to adopt a more natural gait when walking on the Moon compared to the hopping style used on previous Moon missions.
In 2024, scientists at Cornell University in the US unveiled a prototype filtration system that allows astronauts to drink recycled urine from inside their spacesuits.
The system is yet to be used on an actual space mission, though NASA hopes to incorporate it for future Artemis missions.
Additional reporting from agencies.
