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It's the collaboration the fashion world never saw coming.
Prada, known for its luxury bags, accessories and footwear, has dedicated itself to designing a space suit that will be worn on the next mission to the moon.
The renowned fashion brand, founded in Milan in 1913, has partnered with Axiom House to advise on the design and materials of the suit.
Their creation, called the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit, has been described as “evolutionary, scalable and adaptable” for missions on the lunar surface and in low Earth orbit.
Prada said its design team was able to help by recommending custom materials and features for the spacesuit, as well as sewing methods that could improve the suit's performance.
Prada, known for its luxury bags, accessories and footwear, has dedicated itself to designing a space suit that will be worn on the next mission to the moon.
Prada said its design team was able to help by recommending custom materials and features for the spacesuit, as well as sewing methods that could improve the suit's performance.
The suit, which will be worn by the next humans to walk on the surface of the moon, will be able to withstand extreme temperatures at the lunar south pole and colder temperatures in permanently shadowed regions.
It has been designed to accommodate male and female astronauts with greater flexibility and mobility to allow them to move for at least eight hours.
Features also include variable suit pressure, a carbon dioxide “cleaning” system, a backpack with portable support system, and a bright white outer layer to reflect heat.
The entire design also includes advanced coatings on the helmet and visor to improve astronauts' vision of their surroundings, as well as custom gloves.
The suit, which will be worn by the next humans to walk on the surface of the Moon, will be able to withstand extreme temperatures at the lunar south pole and colder temperatures in permanently shadowed regions.
It has been designed to accommodate male and female astronauts with greater flexibility and mobility to allow them to move for at least eight hours.
Lorenzo Bertelli, Director of Advertising and Marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility of the Prada Group, said: 'Going beyond our limits is one of the company's values that perfectly reflects the spirit of the Prada brand and the vision of my parents.
'I am very proud of the result we showed today, which is just the first step in a long-term collaboration with Axiom House.
'We've shared our expertise on high-performance materials, features and sewing techniques, and we've learned a lot.
“I am sure that we will continue to explore new challenges, expand our horizons and build new scenarios together.”
The entire design also includes advanced coatings on the helmet and visor to improve astronauts' vision of their surroundings, as well as custom gloves.
The suit will be used for NASA's Artemis III mission, a manned lunar landing that will take place in September 2026 at the earliest.
It will be the first time humans have returned to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, and will involve a week-long exploration of the lunar surface while scientific studies are conducted.
“Our elite teams have redefined spacesuit development, setting new paths to innovative solutions and applying a next-generation design approach to AxEMU,” said Matt Ondler, president of Axiom House.
'We have broken the mold. The Axiom House-Prada partnership has established a new basic model for cross-industry collaboration, further expanding what is possible in the retail space.”
Axiom House said this is the first time it has “leveraged experience from other industries” to improve its spacesuit design.
The suit has already undergone extensive testing and simulations with a wide range of astronauts, including underwater to simulate the environment on the moon and in reduced gravity.