Prada to Design NASA's First Spacesuit for Women on Artemis II Mission

Prada has partnered with Axiom Space to design the first spacesuit tailored for a woman, set to debut on NASA's Artemis II mission in 2026. The Italian luxury brand, known for material innovation, contributes its expertise to the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit, enhancing mobility and aerodynamics. Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada's marketing director, highlighted the suit's sporty and functional design. Axiom also enlisted costume designer Esther Marquis, known for Apple TV+'s For All Mankind, for the prototype's cover. The collaboration reflects a growing trend of fashion brands entering space exploration, following Richard Branson's partnership with Under Armour for Virgin Galactic and Elon Musk's choice of Jose Fernandez for SpaceX uniforms. The article traces the historical interplay between fashion and space, from Yuri Gagarin's 1961 flight to the futuristic designs of André Courrèges, Pierre Cardin, and Paco Rabanne in the 1960s, which influenced cinema like 2001: A Space Odyssey. It notes that space-themed fashion has recurred in collections by Thierry Mugler (1979), Issey Miyake (1995), Alexander McQueen for Givenchy (1999-2000), Hussein Chalayan (2007), Versace (2016), and Chanel (2017). The piece argues that today, space seeks inspiration from fashion, reversing the historical trend. Artemis II, launching in April 2026, will orbit the Moon for eight days, while Artemis III (late 2027) will land two astronauts on the lunar surface wearing Prada-designed suits.