Prada in space: The fashion house dresses NASA astronauts for the return to the moon in style

The technological heart of the space suit

The tight-fitting suit, called the Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG), was created in collaboration with Axia Space, a Houston-based company tasked with developing space infrastructure. Riječ is about a key part of an astronaut’s life support system that is worn directly on the body. Its main function is to regulate body temperature during outdoor activities (EVA), which can last up to eight hours.

Prada has used its vast experience in working with high-performance materials and 3D modeling techniques to design a garment that is both functional and comfortable. Woven into the fabric are ventilation pipes through which cold water circulates, absorbing and dissipating the heat generated by the astronaut’s body during strenuous activities on the surface of the Moon. The system is also equipped with a redundant cooling circuit to ensure maximum safety in case of failure of the primary system.

Collaboration that goes beyond marketing

This collaboration, started in 2024, was initially focused on the outer layer of the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) space suit, but has now been extended to key life-sustaining components. Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada’s marketing director, emphasized the wide range of knowledge that the company brings to the project.

​- We have a really wide spectrum of abilities and knowledge – said Bertelli.

Jonathan Cirtain, CEO of Axiom Space, added that expertise in developing products for space exploration can come from many, seemingly unrelated industries. Axiom Space emphasized that Prada’s experience is key to ensuring the comfort and performance of the suit, as it goes beyond the limitations of previous models.

A new generation of suits for the Artemis program

The new suit will be used as part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon. Although originally planned for the Artemis 3 mission, after a revision of NASA’s plans, the AxEMU suit will be used by the Artemis IV mission, which is now slated to be the first manned landing. The Artemis III mission, planned for 2027, will test the possibilities of rendezvous and docking in low Earth orbit. The AxEMU suit is designed to provide greater flexibility and mobility, enabling astronauts to move, bend down and collect samples on the Moon’s surface more easily. It also offers advanced protection against the extreme temperatures and harsh environment of the Moon’s south pole and is adapted to a wider range of body types for astronauts of both sexes.

Space commercialization as a new trend

Prada’s entry into the space industry occurred at a time of its accelerated commercialization. The global space economy will reach $613 billion in 2024, with the commercial sector accounting for 78 percent of the total value. The commercial space launch market alone is expected to grow from $8.2 billion in 2024 to $31.9 billion by 2034. Companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are leading the development of space tourism, a market that could be worth $8.9 billion by 2026.

Luxury targets wealthy space tourists

According to Thoma Serdara, a strategist for luxury brands and professor of marketing at New York University, there are two main motives for Prada’s interest. The first is access to affluent consumers thinking about space travel, and the second is to connect the brand with avant-garde thinking. As the New York Post writes, Prada has gone “beyond inspiration to an actual partnership.”

Luca Solca, global head of luxury goods at Bernstein, points out that the renewal of space exploration and human travel to the moon will attract a lot of public attention, and luxury brands must remain relevant and visible. Although other fashion companies, such as Under Armor with Virgin Galactic and Columbia Sportswear with Intuitive Machines, have entered space collaborations, Prada is the first from the very top of the luxury sector.

​- In luxury, it is important to be the first in something, to be a trendsetter – concluded Serdari, noting that the biggest brands like Louis Vuitton, Hermès and Chanel will never copy each other, but rather They will find their own, unique ways to enter the space arena.