Prada Is Going To The Moon - Literally

Italian high fashion label Prada will be designing suits for NASA's Artemis III mission, the one tasked with returning to the moon and also taking the first woman to the lunar surface. Axiom Space, which is already busy making the world's first commercial state station, will work with Prada designers to determine the material and mobility challenges an astronaut's suit will face in space.

The luxury brand will work on the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit, an evolution of NASA's Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) spacesuit design that aims to enhance motor flexibility, technical capabilities, and durability. The version that Axiom Space will work alongside Prada has a signature all-white look with blue accents.

It appears a lot more like an overhaul compared to the boxy spacesuits designed by SpaceX. Then we have Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin's blue ensemble that focuses more on comfort than protection because it only has to take ultra-rich clients on a joyride to the edge of space. Currently, we don't know how deep Prada's work will run into designing spacesuits and whether it can finally achieve a look that doesn't make astronauts look goofy with a signature fashionable touch.

This won't be Axiom Space's first spacesuit showcase. In March 2023, the Houston-based aerospace company took the covers off its spacesuit prototype for the Artemis III lunar mission, which was covered in an off-black layer with orange accents and light blue detailing. That, however, wasn't the actual design, as the real suit was hidden underneath, sporting a reflective white coat.

But Prada's involvement won't be the first time fashion and space fascination have come together. The iconic bra-maker Playtex designed suits for the Apollo missions, one of which was worn by Neil Armstrong on his historic moon landing. Virgin Galactic tapped Adidas to make spacewear for its commercial space flights. The whole costume looked darn slick and seemed inspired by some space opera.

However, the confluence doesn't end there. In 2017, Coach launched NASA-themed accessories, including bags, sneakers, and sweatshirts. The same year, Chanel's fashion show in Paris had a massive mock rocket launch accompanied by themed fashion wear. Gucci's fall 2017 ad campaign took some generous cues from the Star Trek universe.

As for the Artemis III mission, it currently has a tentative 2025 launch schedule and aims to put humans in the region near the lunar South Pole. The four-person crew will embark on their historic mission aboard the Orion spacecraft atop the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket vehicle.