The Astronaut Wears Prada? NASA’s Newest Spacesuits Are Designed by the Italian Fashion House

Prada’s first spacesuits are out of this world.

The Italian luxury fashion house just unveiled the final version of the gear that the Artemis III mission crew will don when they walk on the moon in 2026. Axiom Space, the co-designer of the project, unveiled the extravehicular mobility unit spacesuit (AxEMU) on Wednesday in Milan, roughly a year after the company teased a prototype. 

The sporty-looking AxEMU suit has been years in the making and required the help of roughly 10 Prada employees. In terms of the look, the space gear has patches of gray and selectively placed red stripes on the forearms, across the waist, and down the life support system backpack. Fans of the brand might recognize the scarlet detail from Prada’s ready-to-wear apparel line, Linea Rossa.  

When it comes to functionality, the gender-neutral, one-size-fits-all suits were made in white to withstand heat and to protect the wearer from cold temperatures and lunar dust. The design also incorporates a helmet and visor to fend off solar radiation and enhance the astronaut’s view, plus custom gloves and boots that will allow for spacewalks of up to eight hours. NASA’s 30-day Artemis III mission is currently planned for two years from now and hopes to put four astronauts on the lunar surface. If successful, it will be the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972. 

“Going beyond our limits is one of the company’s values that perfectly reflects the spirit of the Prada brand and my parents’ vision,” says Prada Group’s chief marketing officer, Lorenzo Bertelli, in a press statement. I’m very proud of the result we’re showing today, which is just the first step in a long-term collaboration with Axiom Space. We’ve shared our expertise on high-performance materials, features, and sewing techniques, and we learned a lot. I’m sure we’ll continue to explore new challenges, broaden our horizons, and build new scenarios together.” 

While Prada and Axiom’s new AxEMU suit will be used for NASA’s upcoming moon mission, it can also be adapted for low-Earth orbit, similar to the SpaceX suits worn during the record-breaking Polaris Dawn flight. China also recently announced its goal to put astronauts on the moon and unveiled the garb that will allow for lunar extravehicular activities. The suits have similar red detailing to Prada’s, however, that crewed journey isn’t slated to launch until 2030.