Last year, so many designer partnerships were formed in the fashion sphere that it became an easy listicle: Balmain x Barbie, Disney x Givenchy, “Fenace” (Fendi x Versace), Adidas x Gucci, Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1, among others.
Over the years, we’ve seen collaborations of the high-low, the street and the chic—it’s a proverbial potpourri to create a memorable mixology, but this one is simply out of this world. Prada has partnered with a commercial space company, Axiom Space, to create lunar spacesuits for NASA’s upcoming Artemis III mission, planned for the not-so-distant future of 2025—less than two years away.
“We are thrilled to partner with Prada on the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit,” said Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom Space. “Prada’s technical expertise with raw materials, manufacturing techniques, and innovative design concepts will bring advanced technologies instrumental in ensuring no only the comfort of astronauts on the lunar surface, but also the much-needed human factors considerations absent from legacy spacesuits.”
While other brands might engage heirloom ateliers and skilled hand-embroidery masters and labour, Prada’s artisans will work alongside the Axiom Space systems team engineers throughout the design process, developing solutions for space travellers and design features to protect them against the unique challenge of movement in space among the harshest of lunar environment.
As entertaining as most cosmic and futuristic films have been, many seem to neglect to point out the blow-hot, blow-cold reality of lunar escapades; the average temperature on the moon varies from -183 degrees Celsius at night to 106 degrees Celsius during the day. This requires a spacesuit capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and extreme shifts in temperatures without cracking under pressure.
“The constantly forward-thinking ethos of Prada for humanity has broadened to his desire of adventure and to brave new horizons: space,” says Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group marketing director. “We are honoured to be a part of this historic mission with Axiom Space. Our decades of experimentation, cutting-edge technology, and design know-how—which started back in the 1990s with Luna Rossa challenging for the America’s Cup—will now be applied to the design of a spacesuit for the Artemis era. It is a true celebration of the power of human creativity and innovation to advance civilisation.”
The designer suit must traverse unchartered territory that terrestrial tailors have hitherto not even dreamed of, let alone sewn in the past. The AxEMU spacesuit has to be a protective, technical, all-covering shield to permit astronauts space exploration and it must possess pockets of advanced, multi-functional capabilities. Fortunately for the teams and those behind the seams, there is precedent; they’ve got to evolve much further from NASA’s Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) spacesuit design and create the ultimate outfit to provide “increased flexibility, greater protection to withstand the harsh environment, and specialised tools for exploration and scientific opportunities.”
Historically, Prada has received such glowing reviews over the long course of its famed existence since 1913. Now, to live up to its own legend and to boldly go where no design (or designer) has gone before, the fashion house must use innovative expressions and technology to ensure the exploration of lunar ground in unprecedented conditions.
Axiom Space, one of the leading providers of human spaceflight services, currently operates end-to-end missions to the International Space Station. As the company expands, it has been developing its successor, Axiom Station, “the world’s first commercial space station in low-Earth orbit, which will sustain human growth off the planet and bring untold benefits back home.” This partnership moves the axiom from the pages of science fiction to fashion. Prada has always made room for eternal style—will it now make style in space?
