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NASA astronauts to wear Prada as fashion house enters space industry

From CNA · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Italian fashion house Prada has partnered with Axiom Space to create inner-layer garments for NASA astronauts.
  • The collaboration highlights Prada's ambition to be a leading luxury brand in the burgeoning space industry.
  • This move taps into the growing space tourism market and aligns the brand with innovation, despite a challenging luxury goods sector.

Italian fashion house Prada is making a significant push into the space industry, unveiling the inner-layer garment designed for NASA astronauts.

We have really a broad spectrum of capability and know-how.

— Lorenzo BertelliPrada's chief marketing officer, speaking at an event at Prada's Manhattan store.

Unveiled Sunday at Prada's Manhattan store, the body-hugging suit, developed with Houston-based Axiom Space, features integrated ventilation tubes. This collaboration underscores Prada's ambition to be the first major luxury player to establish a presence in the space sector.

Prada's foray follows its 2024 reveal of a spacesuit intended for NASA's Artemis 3 mission, scheduled for 2027, and the anticipated Artemis 4 moon landing in 2028. While luxury brands have historically drawn inspiration from space, Prada has transitioned into an "actual partnership," according to luxury brand strategist Thomai Serdari. This strategic move aims to attract affluent consumers interested in space travel and associate the brand with forward-thinking innovation.

Expertise for developing space exploration products "can come from lots of seemingly unrelated industries."

— Jonathan CirtainCEO of Axiom Space, commenting on the collaboration.

The space exploration and tourism industries are attracting significant attention, with companies like Blue Origin and SpaceX catering to the wealthy. Luca Solca, global head of luxury goods at Bernstein, noted that the "resumption of space exploration and human travel to the moon is bound to attract a lot of eyeballs," making it crucial for luxury brands to maintain visibility.

beyond inspiration into an actual partnership

— Thomai SerdariA luxury brand strategist and marketing professor at New York University's Stern School of Business, describing Prada's involvement.

Prada's expansion into space apparel occurs amidst a difficult period for the luxury goods market, which had shown signs of stabilization before recent global events disrupted travel and spending. While other companies like Under Armour and Columbia Sportswear have also engaged with space-related ventures, it remains to be seen if other high-end fashion houses will follow Prada's pioneering lead. Serdari suggests that while brands like Louis Vuitton, Hermès, and Chanel are interested, they will likely pursue their own unique paths into the space domain.

to gain access to affluent consumers who are contemplating space travel, and to align the brand with avant-garde thought.

— Thomai SerdariExplaining Prada's motivations for entering the space industry.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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