NASA astronauts will be wearing Prada when they land on the moon, not only for its aesthetic appeal.

Mankind plans to return to the Moon in style – dressed in Prada.

Space boffins have asked the luxury Italian fashion designer to create the clobber astronauts will be wearing when they set foot on the lunar planet for the first time since 1972. Billions round the world are likely to be watching as astronauts on NASA’s Artemis 3 mission strut their stuff on their maiden Moonwalk in 2025 decked out from head-to-toe in designer gear.

But the fashion house – which inspired smash hit 2006 comedy movie The Devil Wears Prada starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway – has not just been chosen for the project because its clothes look good. Axiom Space, which selected Prada as its partner to develop the astronauts’ suits, hailed the designer had a long history of technological innovation.

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Michael Suffredini, chief executive of Axiom Space, said: “While it doesn’t seem obvious what the technological reasons are for collaborating with a company like Prada they’re more than just a fashion company. They actually do quite a bit of technologically advanced things.

“When it comes to the design side of that piece of it makes a lot of sense because Prada has a lot of experience in the design, the look and feel. More importantly there’s these technological challenges to try to overcome as well.”

He said Prada had expertise in the use of composites. Using composites for parts of the torso and pants of a spacesuit, he said, could make it lighter.

“When you’re going to space mass is king, so this can be a huge advantage for us,” he added. “We wanted to work with very forward-leaning companies in other industries, not just in space.

“We really understood each other very quickly, and I think what we’re doing is going to be a win-win for both of us. We’re going to build a suit, it’s going to be a fantastic suit, but we’re going to build it on time.

“I can’t tell you what it’s going to look like but I feel good about it. It’s going to look very unique compared to what spacesuits formerly looked like.”

Prada’s will work on the outer layer of the spacesuits which will need to protect the inside from environmental hazards such as lunar dust without hindering mobility.

Lorenzo Bertelli, the Prada Group’s marketing director, said: “Embedded in the culture of the company is much more than fashion.
“The suit, I think, is a perfect representation of something where you need a holistic approach. We have a lot of know-how in how to package fabrics together to create better mobility.”

He said the company’s expertise in composite materials dates back to the 1990s when it founded the Luna Rossa yachting team to compete for the America’s Cup.
The focus on the spacesuit will be functionality, Bertelli said. “But there are areas where you feel there will be a bit of room for creativity,” he added.

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