Prada may be known for an outlandish collection or two but its latest collaboration with Axiom Space truly takes fashion out of this world. Last week in Milan – at the International Astronautical Congress rather than any traditional fashion week – Prada and Axiom Space revealed the design of its Extravehicular Mobility Unit. That can be shortened to AxEMU, but it may come to be better known as the spacesuit that Nasa’s astronauts will wear during the Artemis III mission.
Scheduled for 2026, not only is the Artemis III mission significant as humanity returns to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, but it is also set to take the first woman and first person of color to the moon’s surface. While there’s no news announcement about who exactly will be going to the moon yet, at least we know they’ll be well and practically dressed, thanks to Prada.
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Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group’s chief marketing officer and head of corporate social responsibility – not to mention the great-grandchild of Prada’s founder Mario Prada, and the eldest son of head designer Miuccia Prada and former CEO Patrizio Bertelli – said: “Going beyond our limits is one of the company’s values that perfectly reflects the spirit of the Prada brand and my parents’ vision. 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.”
Prada’s design and product development team worked alongside Axiom Space engineers on the spacesuit, suggesting customized material recommendations and features that would protect astronauts against the unique challenges of the lunar environment – while also being stylish enough to inspire future space exploration.
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Around 10 Prada employees worked full-time on the spacesuit, traveling back and forth between the Italian fashion house’s flagship in Milan and Houston, where Axiom is based, to advise on new materials and sewing techniques.
While the final design leans heavily on function and technical precision, there are subtle finishes that make the suit indisputably Prada. Among them, the carefully positioned red stripes are an unmistakable wink to the Linea Rossa logo. Beyond their aesthetic nod, these stripes serve a purpose to set the commander apart, while the rest of the crew will don stripes in alternative hues. Each suit is said to cost more than $1bn, as reported by Bloomberg last week.
[See also: First Look: Space Perspective’s Sleek New Neptune Capsule]
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“Our elite teams have redefined spacesuit development, establishing new pathways to innovative solutions and applying a state-of-the-art design approach for the AxEMU,” said Axiom Space president, Matt Ondler.
“We have broken the mold. The Axiom Space-Prada partnership has set a new foundational model for cross-industry collaboration, further expanding what’s possible in commercial space.” Set your fashion week calendars for 2026 now: London, Paris, New York, the Moon?
axiomspace.com/axiom-suit / prada.com
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